As Bob Bydal cleans out his office at Bydal Designs, he is reminded of his years coloring the region.

Bydal, his wife, Mary Jo, and their daughter, Emily Ruemmele, worked on cleaning out 42 years' worth of vinyl, paint and other materials this week.

Bydal has painted signs and created logos for the Happy Harry’s building, Bonzer’s and the sign going into the Red River State Recreation Area behind the Blue Moose restaurant. He also has painted countless race cars that have raced on the River City Speedway track.

Now, it is time for Bydal to lay down his paint brush and retire.

Bydal started his business in his mother’s garage in East Grand Forks in 1977. He later moved to DeMers Avenue, where the East Grand Forks City Hall now stands. After the flood of '97, the city bought that lot from Bydal.

He moved to his current building at 1925 Central Avenue NW in the early 2000s. Bob and Mary Jo lived in the apartment above the shop for five years.

Not only did Bydal paint, but he etched glass and sandblasted wood signs too. His favorite project combined painting and sandblasting a wood sign for a private residence on Cass Lake.

Ruemmele said her dad has worked hard and set a good example for four decades.

“He would come home for supper with us, tuck us into bed and then go back to the shop until 2 or 3 in the morning,” Ruemmele said. “He worked so hard to give us the perfect life.”

Changing with the times

Bydal had to change with the times, his daughter said.

In the '70s everything was hand painted. Signs took days, weeks and months to complete. Today, everything can be done on a computer. A project that once would have taken months and layers of paint to finish can now be done in just 30 minutes with a computer program, Bydal said.

He taught himself how to use the computer and design logos to go on vinyl stickers.

“That’s one thing I won’t miss, is chasing the computers,” Bydal said.

In the beginning, Bydal took a commercial art class at Moorhead Technical College and a sign lettering and design class at what was then Detroit Lakes Tech. When Bydal first started his business, he said he went out door to door trying to sell signs.

“Sometimes I would see signs when we were driving past and I’d go home, sketch out a new one and bring it to the business and see if they’d be interested,” Bydal said. “Sometimes they were, sometimes they weren’t.”

Bydal and his family believe his was the first business of its kind in East Grand Forks.

“I will never forget all the customers and other businesses I’ve worked with and formed great relationships with,” Bydal said. “I never got in a fight with anybody. This was a good way to make friends.”

Bydal was heavily involved with the Chamber of Commerce in his time as a business owner, heading up the organization as board chair in 1991. He said he was also involved in starting “Catfish Days.”

While he said he's looking forward to retirement, it's not easy for Bydal to hang up his paintbrush and smock. Ruemmele said on Saturday as she was packing up his supplies, her father was still designing logos and signs.

“This is all I’ve done my whole life,” Bydal said.

Bydal plans to continue consulting and creating a few signs here and there in retirement, but first he and his family will go to the lake.