“I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, somebody put, like, a little burst of sunshine in my front yard today,'" Medina said. “And I had no idea who it was.”
After checking Facebook, she said she discovered other yards had received the same sign along her block and throughout the historic district in McKinney, she said.
The sign placement came from a desire to support local businesses, according to Susan Beers, a McKinney realtor, who had placed Medina's sign. Beers had previously purchased house closing gifts from local artist Windy Gallagher, creator of Made in McKinney, and reached out to her to purchase signs for her friends as a surprise.
“It started with 15 signs,” Beers said. “My goal was to go around and place them in friends yards as a surprise. And so that that's what I did. And then it got so much feedback. And everybody was so tickled to have them.”
As more people posted their houses with the signs in front on Facebook, Beers gave some clues, eventually giving away who had placed them.
Beers will have placed close to 75 signs around the McKinney Historic District after her final run tomorrow, she said. Among those who have received them are friends and clients as well as people Beers has never met, she said.
The spread of the signs is likely to continue, according to Medina, who plans to order 14 signs herself to share with others. Acts like this are on par with how her neighborhood regularly is, she said.
During the pandemic, blocks have created group texts to check in on what supplies neighbors might need at least twice a week, among other acts of kindness, Medina said.
“It kind of restores your faith in humankind to see everybody actually caring about each other and doing these types of things,” Medina said. “It makes you love your community more, and it makes you want to do more for other people, too.
Other community members have followed suit in placing signs around McKinney, including one other realtor in another area of town, Beers said. Having her client’s homes shared online is an added bonus of the signs, she said.
As of April 9, the "McKinney Love" signs have sold 222 times, according to the Made in McKinney Etsy page, where the signs can be purchased. The signs are also available for delivery or porch pickup, according to a Facebook post by Gallagher.
“I think it's just one of those things that keeps giving, you know, so I love it,” Beers said. “I'm always fortunate that I know this little community supports me big-time.”
