One of five stories that are part of this week’s cover feature, “Counting Change: Winners and losers in the rocky restart to the economy.”
Go anywhere these days and you’re sure to see a few new signs: “We’re Open!” or “Now with Delivery!” signs abound—whether hand-drawn with fat Sharpies or ordered special from local sign makers.
When things change, businesses need new ways to share that info—so we asked local sign makers whether that’s resulting in an uptick in business. Turns out, all the new signs are, at the very least, helping them stay afloat.
“We’ve seen an increase for COVID signs and social distancing signs, but a lot of my business is reliant on concerts and events—so we definitely were down in the last few months,” said Michelle Richwine of 1 Day Signs in Bend. “But we’ve been able to keep making signs for these businesses that are doing takeout and banners and things like that… and A-frames for their sidewalks.”
“It’s hard to say how many more signs we’re making now,” said a representative from the local company Bend Signs. “It just seems like everything kind of changed. It was one thing, then it changed to a completely different type; people were needing floor graphics and clear plastic for spit shields, it was just different. ”
Richwine said the new signs have been “all over the board,” from new floor decals to specialty items, such as QR codes included on outdoor signs, that make ordering outside a restaurant easier. “Doing the COVID signage has helped offset [other parts of our business] for sure,” she said.
-Intern Miina McCown contributed to this report.
This article appears in May 20-27, 2020.
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