Meet Fresno’s most dedicated furniture store sign-waver. ‘All people see is the sign moving’
Gabriel Carpio works in the advertising industry, albeit not in the traditional sense.
Carpio doesn’t sell ads, nor does he design them. He is the actual advertisement — at least from the perspective of Blackstone Avenue drivers. For nearly three years, Caprio has spent most of his working hours standing on the sidewalk twisting a large sign for USA Furniture.
“One of the best jobs I’ve had,” the 35-year-old tells me. “It’s a job that pays. Not a lot, but it pays.”
Carpio’s sign, roughly 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, conceals him from those driving past. They just see the words “FREE DELIVERY AND SET UP!!!” along with the store’s name and phone number in large typeface and in constant motion.
“All people see is the sign moving,” he says. “Until they come up from behind and go, ‘Oh s–. There’s somebody there.’ ”
Keeping the sign moving at all times, for the attention of passing motorists, is Carpio’s primary task.
To give it structure, the poster board is mounted onto aluminum tubing. There’s a vertical spine down the middle that extends to the sidewalk and a horizontal crosspiece where Carpio places his hands to twist the sign steadily back and forth.
“Pretty much turn left, right, left, right for every minute of the day,” he says.
Twisting the sign is what Carpio does for hour after hour, five days a week Wednesday through Sunday. He twists the sign during the summer when temperatures soar, and he twists the sign during the winter when it’s cold and gets dark early.
The only time Gabriel’s bosses don’t want him out there twisting the sign is when it’s raining.
“Sometimes I wish it rains,” he confesses.
‘It was a steady, paying job’
Summer, for obvious reasons, is the worst time to spend 7 hours a day on a Fresno sidewalk rocking a sign. Even though Carpio can seek relief from the heat inside the store, he prefers to combine all his break time into one extended lunch.
“It was summer when I got this job (in 2021),” Carpio says. “I was excited because not a lot of places were hiring people and they wanted me to start right away.
“When they told me what it was, I was like, ‘Seriously? You want me to stand out there when it’s 100 degrees?’ But it was a steady, paying job, and I got used to it.”
Gabriel’s sign blocks his view of Blackstone. To keep from staring all day at white poster board, he watches videos on his phone placed inside a neck holder or listens to music.
In one pocket Carpio keeps a portable phone charger. Another contains his wallet, which is attached to a chain just in case someone walking past gets any ideas.
While Carpio hasn’t had anyone try to rob him on the job, occasionally an unhoused person will ask him for money or try to sell him weed. The scariest incident was when a boy around the age of 12 attempted to burn him, and the sign, using an aerosol can and a lighter.
“That’s not something that happens to you every day,” Gabriel says. “I’m thinking, ‘What is this kid’s parents teaching him?’”
Blackstone furniture hot spot
Carpio spent most of his life in Gilroy before moving to Madera and eventually Fresno about seven years ago to join family in the area. One of his first jobs was building signs while working alongside his father. Since then he has cut and packaged chicken on a Foster Farms assembly line, cleaned grocery store produce trays in a warehouse and worked inside USA Furniture’s sister store.
From where Carpio stands on Blackstone just south of Barstow Avenue, the signs for six competing furniture stores are visible. Gabriel is the only sign-waver, although one store hires a karaoke singer on the weekends.
Carpio takes pride in attracting customers — one of whom once handed him a $100 bill — but doesn’t want to wave a sign forever. He gets paid minimum wage and receives federal disability assistance. Combined, it’s just enough to make rent in a shared apartment along Blackstone within 15 minutes’ biking distance.
I ask Gabriel what his dream job would be.
“Beta tester for video games,” he replies. “You should see how much money they make in a year.”
Next time you spot a large sign moving next to a busy commercial street, remember there’s a human behind it.
This story was originally published June 1, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
