SOUTHPORT, N.Y. (WENY) - If you've recently driven into the town of Southport then you may have noticed a small change, which will soon be expanding.

Folks coming into the town of Southport will now be greeted with a new sign, instead of the previous green one that simply just said "Southport." Instead, the sign represents more of an image of what the town has to offer. The sign was put up on Thursday at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Hampton Road heading towards Cedar Street. There is only one sign that is officially up, however, there are three more that will soon be placed throughout the town. A member of the Southport Business Association came up with the idea a year ago, hoping to get a strong message across. 

"If you come out on Broadway, Pennsylvania Avenue, all the major roads, we have small retail shops that have been established. They have been here for years and years, and we're trying to let people know that we are here. You don't have to go to Horseheads and up into that area for everything and the Consumer Square area," said Charlie Todd, member of Southport Business Association and owner of Chamberlain Acres. 

Todd says local artist Parnilla Carpenter worked with Finger Lakes Sign & Design to create the new signs. 

Todd added, "When people are coming into the town of Southport, they just see the green sign that says "Southport" it doesn't say who we are or what we represent. As you're driving through its more of just a residential thing, where we actually have more retail businesses than most towns our size."

Todd says there are talks of getting a Town Center Square area, as well as, making the sidewalks a little bit more pedestrian friendly.