If you have been to some of our recent Hometown Happenings events, you have most likely seen their work. You may have even taken your picture with it? Sign Gypsies sets up giant displays of signs for all occasions and is owned and operated by the Thompson family. And yes, it is a “family” operation as even the kids get involved in putting up the displays. Here is more about their business from Megan Thompson, wife, mother & co-owner of the business.
1) Why did you start the business? I started the business in hopes that I would have more opportunities to celebrate people in our communities and ease the transition of going back to work. My husband Tony and I have four boys (9,8,5,3) and three of them are now in school. It was the perfect time!
2) What services do you offer?
Sign Gypsies-NWI is a 24 hour sign rental company that aims to celebrate all occasions. We provide customized yard greetings, indoor set ups, and photo stations. Every greeting comes with stars, balloons, and amazing graphics that personalize each sign. We design, set up, and tear down for our customers. All they have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy their sign. 
3) Do you have a mission statement or a philosophy about your business?
My husband Tony and I always say this when describing our company “We create bigger greetings and bigger smiles. It’s a unique touch with a huge impact.”
4) Most interesting story to share about your business so far… an interesting assignment or client?
With only four months in, I’m sure the stories will just get more bizarre. We’ve had cops called on us for doing set ups in the middle of the night for a customer, which resulted in the officer booking a sign the next week for his wife’s birthday. We’ve had wives adjust their RING alarm systems so that the husband does not get notified of his birthday sign being set up. A highlight by far was being able to celebrate “Cow Appreciation Day” for
Chick-Fil-A. That’s when we felt like “we’ve arrived.” Lol
Something that completely took me by surprise was the emotion behind doing set ups. We recently did a “Welcome Home” sign for a soldier on September 11 (double whammy) and I had the opportunity to share with my boys the impact that horrible day has had on our country almost 20 years later. Being able to celebrate people we’ve never met and probably never well – creates more joy than we ever expected. 
5) What’s your best advice for someone starting out? Know your limits and know your worth. Before we started this company, we wrote down our boundaries and things we would not compromise for our business. Church and family were at the top of our list. We would not miss a church service to set up a sign or miss scheduled family time for a set up. The customers who have requested a Sunday morning set up have been gracious to accommodate that and we will always be appreciative of that.
Tony and I encourage our boys to come with us and help assemble the signs to teach them work ethic as well as the joy of celebrating people! Whether that’s a birthday, gender reveal, fundraiser, anniversary, school events, or a new home – we never want to lose the excitement of celebrating events in peoples lives.