Signs, Signs, Everywhere are Signs…at The Second Knob

For the most part, choosing our line of gifts for our new shop was nothing short of extremely difficult. First, we decided on what type of gifts we would carry; which in and of itself was no easy task. We didn’t want to compete with other gift shops or big box stores. We wanted merchandise that would stand-out– gifts that our customers wouldn’t have seen a hundred [other] times, at a dozen other stores. Once we’d selected the items, we had to compare design, quality and cost. We soon realized that USA made items, while often superior in quality, were few and far between and, frequently, much, much more costly. We spent countless hours on the Internet, at other gift shops and in wholesale show rooms.

In the midst of this daunting task, we discovered a line of primitive box signs, which won our instant approval. These simple, black and white signs are thought-provoking, inspiring, fun, sarcastic, or just plain silly. Frequently, our customers find themselves tearing-up as they read some of the “wordiest” of the bunch— two signs describing what we want for our sons and daughters. I know how Moms feel as they read down the list of “What I Want for You…” on the “Daughters” sign, because I experienced the same burst of emotion when I first read that sign. I should, also, mention that I was standing at a gift show amidst hundreds of other retailers at the time. Embarrassing? Somewhat; but, any parent who stopped and took the time to read the signs reacted the SAME way. When one fellow-shop owner asked me if I was ok, I pointed at the sign. After reading it, she was crying harder than I was. I offered her a tissue and we’ve been friends ever since. A friend of ours, after her first visit to the store, remarked “Forget a sad movie; I am coming here to read this sign whenever I need a ‘good cry.’ This sign says it all…everything I’ve ever wanted to say to my daughter.”

If customers aren’t tearing-up over the mushy, thought-provoking signs, they are tearing-up over the witty, sarcastic and silly signs. The other day, an elderly man roared (Really roared) over the sign that reads, “After scolding one’s cat, one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word and has filed it for reference.” He said to us, “Boy is THAT true. I have a Siamese cat that ALWAYS looks that way.”

Some of these signs sell more quickly than others. “I Run with Scissors, It Makes Me Feel Dangerous,” is popular with hair-stylists. If a customer happens to mention that s/he does hair, I point out this sign and it is an instant sale thus reinforcing my belief that [we] like signs that “speak” to us personally. Art teachers and, anyone creative, loves one of the largest, boldest signs “Color Outside the Lines.”

We are often asked which our favorite sign is but it would be impossible to choose. Some days, we want the inspiring, “Think deeply, speak gently, love much, laugh a lot, work hard, give freely and be kind” and other days, we want the silly “Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy marshmallows, which are kinda the same thing.”

We are unpacking a new shipment of box signs this week! Stop in and see if any of them “speak” to you! We are located at the edge of the Village of Dryden, on the corner of Springhouse Road and Route 13 at 128 W. Main St. We are here Tuesday-Saturday from 10am to 6pm * and until 9pm on Thursdays. We look forward to seeing you…for a good cry or a good laugh!

By Shana Karn, Owner

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