SYCAMORE – One of the companies on State Street in Sycamore is getting a new sign, which it hopes will modernize its brand.

Paulsen Appliance and Electronics, which has been in business since 1977, has a blue awning that includes a sign with the message "Paulsen Appliance & Electronics" and the claim "Quality Products & Service Since 1977" in white font. The family-owned company, which won the "Brand Source Greater Midwest Store of the Year" in 2015, prominently displays "Brand Source" above the current sign.

The sign previously was approved by Sycamore’s Building and Engineering Department, but now had to be approved Monday afternoon by the city’s Architectural Review Committee. The committe voted, 3-0, in favor of the sign. Ron Cerutti made the motion to approve the sign permit.

The sign soon will say "Paulsen's" and show its website and the "Brand Source" name on the blue field, instead of above the sign. The sign will have a lit back panel, according to Sycamore's Architectural Review Committee agenda. The company also is adding its website to the sign, which will be lit internally.

Architectural Review Committee member Jeff Keppler made an observation about the name Paulsen getting an apostrophe and the letter S.

“It’s like Chicago,” he said. “Everyone wants to the put the ‘S’ on everything else.”

Paulsen Appliance and Electronics, which sells many devices and housewares such as refrigerators, washing machines and coffee makers, also sells mattresses and bedding, according to its website.

Although the company wasn't always in Sycamore, it's been on State Street since the 1980s, said Cerutti, who joined the committee at the Sycamore City Council meeting Jan. 6.