Over the past few months, signs featuring a simple rainbow sunburst and two short words — “LOVE MORE” — have been popping up in various places.
The signs have been spotted in photos of rallies and marches on the Internet, and they have popped up in random front yards in all corners of the United States.
And it all started in Johnson County.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryShortly before the presidential election, Erin Davis had been noticing political signs and Confederate flags on her daily drive, which bothered her. When her daughter Wren got home from kindergarten at Franklin’s Creekside Elementary, however, Davis saw something different.
“She brought home a picture of a unicorn and a rainbow, which was completely opposite of my experience,” Davis said.
Her daughter’s picture led her to design a simple rainbow-themed image of her own anchored by two words: “Love More.”
Just before Halloween, she printed up 18 yard signs displaying that simple two-word message over a rainbow background at her family’s business, Crystal Graphics in Whiteland.
“I was worried about getting stuck with them,” Davis said.
Instead, the demand far outweighed the supply. Not only have the yard signs spread across Johnson County and into Indianapolis, but Davis has shipped them all over America — Brooklyn, San Diego, Florida, Montana, South Dakota. In all, she says approximately 700 signs have been sold at $7 each.
Word has spread organically, largely through social media. Her website, lovemoresign.com, has also been selling stickers and postcards for $1 each. Davis recently responded to requests for shirts by offering a pre-sale — and the first run of 200 sold out.
The sale of those shirts brought in $2,000, which Davis distributed to five different charities on Valentine’s Day. All of the profits from her Love More products get donated to various causes locally and nationally, she said.
In all, about $2,500 has been donated so far.
Who she donates to depends on what feels right, Davis said. For example, when Doctors Without Borders needed money, she gave some.
As the movement has grown, more products have emerged — with canvas garden flags being one of the more recent additions.
“The garden signs just happened out of necessity,” Davis explained, “because a lot of people have HOAs that don’t let them put up signs. The sneaky way around HOAs is the garden flags.”
Davis said she is thrilled by how “Love More” has taken off — both in terms of the products and impact.
“We made posters, just small posters for schools, and schools have them up from my daughter’s school all the way up to Franklin College,” Davis said. “And I’ve heard teachers that say they’ve had so many big important conversations that have been sparked from that silly little sign — and that in itself is worth everything to me.
“All the time and energy, it’s making people have real conversations.”
Davis plans to keep going with the movement for as long as possible. Any dips in sales or interest so far have proven to be brief and temporary, she said.
“Just as I think, ‘Maybe this the end of the road,’ something happens and people jump right back on it, and it gets even crazier,” she said.
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Some of the area charities that have benefited from the sale of Love More items:
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana
Habitat for Humanity Johnson County
Immigrant Welcome Center, Indianapolis
Indiana Youth Group (LGBT youth organization)
Kic-It (support network for the homeless)
St. Thomas Clinic (health care for uninsured poor)
For more information, visit www.lovemoresign.com
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