May 8, 2017

Meet Melanie Lupher of One Sign Day in Spring Branch

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Lupher.

Melanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a stay at home mom to 3 boys. My oldest has very special needs. He’s on a ventilator. I was looking for a way to earn some extra income for my family but would still allow me to take care of my sons. I was gifted a stork yard sign when my 3rd son was born. I thought it was a great idea. It provides a way for friends to gift something without buying more baby stuff that the parents already have. Along with stork signs I wanted to add birthday signs. I started looking into the business and realized there was no company located in the heart of Houston providing these particular signs. Within a few months we had everything set up and the orders started coming in. Running this company allows me to take my kids with me, be creative and bring a smile to people’s faces.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For the most part it’s been pretty smooth. Our biggest struggle was dealing with competitors. Establishing a web presence and getting our business out to the public. We don’t have a huge amount of money to advertise with. We have had to rely on word of mouth, referrals and other businesses willing to help promote us.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about One Sign Day – what should we know?
We are a stork birth announcement and birthday yard sign rental company. We can customize the sign to leave a special message. One of the main things that sets us apart is you get a keepsake with each sign. This is an especially great feature with our stork signs. The parents get to keep the sign that has all the babies info on it and any sibling signs. We even leave a hook with them to hang the keepsake up in their house. Because of our location we are able to deliver to most Houston areas. We also have a heart for special needs kids. We recognize that doctor and therapy bills can add up and we never want cost to affect them from having a fun sign on a birthday. We are always willing to do or best to make the cost affordable.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The stork lady of San Antonio sells the signs that we purchase for our business. She played a huge part in helping us launch our business here in Houston. As well as our sister in law Lisha Lupher who owns Sign Chick of Cypress. We partner up to make sure all of Houston is able to gets their signs. My mom who is willing to help me deliver and pick up signs whenever it is needed.

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