Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Harris.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am the third owner for this Sign Gypsies franchise. I met the previous owner for this territory when I was her son’s teacher. After having a sign installed at my home for a birthday for one of my kids, I told her I would love to work with her if she ever needed another installer. She took me up on it, and I installed for her a couple years, and once she was ready to sell, I eagerly purchased from her. Our franchise covers a lot of area… Murphy, Sachse, Wylie, Rowlett, Lavon, part of Garland, and part of Plano. I originally purchased part of her territory in Rowlett & Garland and started Sign Gypsies Rowlett in June 2020. After a couple of months, she decided she was ready to sell the rest of it, and I took that over as well, combining the name as Sign Gypsies Wylie/Rowlett.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a pretty smooth road but looking back; the most challenging is Texas weather. We’ve been through it all! We don’t install in lightning, so we do our best to work around the crazy storms. We’ll either install before the storm and come by and straighten signs or if it’s really bad, we have to wait until after the storm passes. Then there’s the dry summers. In order for our stakes to go into the ground, the yards have to be watered. The summer is the most difficult because I feel like I’m begging customers to water. If grounds are dry, stakes just won’t go in the ground, no matter how hard we try. Then there was February of 2021 with the snowstorm. Our goal that time was just to get the signs in the ground. Once they were in, some just had to stay a few days.
We’ve been impressed with Sign Gypsies Wylie/Rowlett, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sign Gypsies Wylie/Rowlett is a yard greeting company. We rent and deliver yard greetings for any occasion such as birthdays, anniversaries, military homecomings, new baby, school celebrations, etc.
I believe what sets us apart from others is our graphics and our appealing, eye-catching designs. We have a variety of setups, including large mega numbers that stand about 6 feet tall and customized signs that could celebrate every occasion. Sign Gypsies corporate has done a wonderful job keeping up with trends and interests of its recipients. They are open to new ideas and want the creative insight from its franchise owners. There are over 800 Sign Gypsies franchises throughout the United States and Canada, and we have great brand recognition as the largest yard display company in the U.S. As for our location, I think one thing that really makes us special is the people who the customer will interact with. We pride ourselves on our wonderful customer service. I have three installers: Dawn Schuler, Jessica Butler, and Laura Wilmarth. They are a huge part of what makes this job so much fun because I get to work with friends who love this as much as I do. They are all conscientious about making sure each setup is special for the recipient. My family is also a huge part of this as well. My husband, Ryan, and I have four kids: Grayson, Tanner, Tyson, and Callum. Each of them has had a part of this business as either helping pull signs to get them ready for install, picking up signs, or being a sidekick during an install. They’ve all learned valuable lessons along the way as well as seeing the joy our signs bring to recipients.
My favorite setups, and probably what I am most proud of are our military setups. The past two years, we have put up a 9-11 setup at the fire station in Murphy, and our largest setup is one we did at the 1LT Robert F. Welch III Run for our Heroes that is held each April in Wylie. My husband, Ryan, is an Army veteran, and I love to get his input on how to make sure our military setups are eye-catching and respectful.
The best part about this job is talking to customers and getting a glimpse into their lives for signs that are not your typical birthday greetings. We have welcomed home family members from the hospital who are spending their last days with loved ones, celebrated birthdays of those who have lost parents to illness, celebrated cancer treatments, welcomed home long hospital stays, and brought joy to children up who are on hospice. We’ve been the cheerful side of many difficult times for our customers. All of us here are faithful people who pray for our customers and think of them outside of putting up their sign. We build a strong connection and know that when they look back at some difficult times, we were there to bring joy.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was pretty outgoing and enjoyed being involved with a variety of activities, including softball and dance. We grew up in the country, and until I was old enough to drive, my brother, sister, and I spent a lot of time outside swimming, riding the four-wheeler and bikes, playing in the playhouse, and exploring in the creek next to our house. As I got older, I found myself busy with dance, choir, and hanging out with my friends. Thinking about what I was like as an adolescent, it really doesn’t surprise me that this is what I am doing because I get to have fun, be creative, and meet a lot of people.
Pricing:
- Birthday greetings $99/24 hour rental
- Custom greetings $109/24-hour rental
- Graduation start at $99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.signgypsiesrowlett.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/signgypsieswylierowlett/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/signgypsieswylierowlett
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-harris-5567457/
- Twitter: @SGWylieRowlett
