Local artists Craig Wetzel and Jennifer Barrett collaborated together to design the new coin logo for The Vault in downtown East Liverpool. (Photo courtesy of Craig Wetzel)
EAST LIVERPOOL — When local owners of the Cadence Vault and Gastro Pub in East Liverpool made the decision to rebrand the restaurant as The Vault, they sought out help in the form of a design contest from the public for their logo.
Local artist Craig Wetzel decided to toss his hat into the ring and see what he could come up with.
According to Wetzel, he got stuck when trying to come up with an idea and he turned to Jennifer Barrett, East Liverpool, for help.
He said all the ideas for the logo were Barrett’s and he just did the graphic through a software program.
“She is like the landscape architect, and I was like the man standing there with the shovel waiting for instructions on where to dig,” Wetzel said.
Barrett, who agreed to work with Wetzel, said, “Craig is an amazingly talented artist and has so many skillsets that are perfectly suited to this kind of work.”
Barrett said that working on The Vault’s new logo with Wetzel was a fun project for her because of the history there.
She noted that the building The Vault is located in dates back to 1924, which she believes to be a neat period in time.
There is a personnel connection for Barrett with the building, due to her mother Jo Ann Barrett, who started working there right out of high school. At the time it with the Potters Bank & Trust Co.
Jo Ann, according to Jennifer, started out in the bookkeeping department which was located downstairs before moving on to become manager of the East End branch.
“I remember walking that building when I was really little. It seemed so huge with these enormous columns and white marble, kind of like Gringotts from Harry Potter,” Barrett said. “It was the kind of building that made you want to whisper when you were in there.”
Barrett recalls the window ledges which she said were her preferred perch outside for all the Christmas parades when she couldn’t see over people.Based on her history with the building, for Barrett, it seemed only fitting that the new logo evokes the past while still having elements that are relevant to the present, and so thought is suitable to have the logo hint at a coin.
Barrett, who is a member of the East Liverpool Beautification Society, has hopes for the future of The Vault and their role in the city’s historic downtown.
“I’m excited and honored to have played a small part in hopefully the very long and prosperous future of The Vault,” Barrett said. “I wish them great success and can’t wait to see how they play a progressive role in the ongoing revamping and branding to the heart of our historic downtown.”
Local owners of The Vault: Jacob Robinson, Troy Chisom Kevin Kerr, Mandy Jones, Kiley May and Charles Bailey, have recently revealed the new coin logo with new name and plan to place the logo on several billboards throughout the area.
kgarabrandt@mojonews.com
