More Evil Work in Awnings

In keeping with the potentially awful news about the removal of the classic B&H Dairy sign, the Carroll Gardens Fish Market has covered up their nice old painted sign (you can still see part of it on the left) with a new boring blue awning. Are there any studies that show that new awning actually improve business? Whey do people do this? So they can look like any stupid store in the country, and scrub away any originality or history? And, you know, the cheap way they make these awnings today, they end up looking like crap in six months.