INDIANAPOLIS — At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 16-year-old Jada Lee was in search of hope.
“She was just trying to find something to do and find a little life,” Chelsa’ Lee-Samuels said.
As Jada’s older sister, Chelsa’ found a way to incorporate Jada into her already existing business making T-shirts, banners and backdrops.
“I told her that I was looking at doing these freestanding letters and more freestanding signs,” Lee-Samuels said.
In search of a new name, the sisters reached out to their father for inspiration.
“I'm coming up with all these big, elaborate names, and he's like, ‘How about Yard Sign Sisters?'”
The business was born.
“There was so much joy needed at that point because everyone was in their homes,” Lee-Samuels said. “We were out to almost 2 o'clock in the morning, every day, trying to help people by spreading joy in their yards.”
That joy proved to be contagious.
“Folks just love joy and they don't know that they need it until they receive it,” Lee-Samuels said. “We started with just the yard signs and then folks started saying, ‘What else do you offer?”
Enter The Joy Bar.
“Our Joy Bar service provides cotton candy and popcorn and things like that,” Lee-Saumels said. “We've also partnered up with my aunt over at Punkin's Pies and with Sweet Cheeks Cookie Company."
Both vendors supply the Joy Bar with a variety of cookies, dipped fruit and sweet treats.
“We try to make sure that we are a one-stop shop for our clients,” Lee-Samuels said. “We pride ourselves on spreading joy and just spreading the love."
The Yard Sign Sisters also offer custom signs and balloon displays.
"I tell people all the time, if we don't provide the service here at Yard Sign Sisters, we know someone that does,” Lee-Samuels said.
But the amount of services offered by the Yard Sign Sisters continues to grow.
“We are not in the yard as much as we used to be,” Lee-Samuels said. “Whereas before, our staff was going out after they put their kids to bed at night, now we need staff for during the day and weekends. It's a big adjustment for us to make because it's just not we're just not used to. We're just moving with the times.”
Younger sister Jada is also on the move.
“My sister is in college,” Lee-Samuels said. “So I am alone right now as far as her, but I have an awesome team helping me behind the scenes while she's attending college and getting her degree until she figures out what she wants to do in life. Hopefully she'll come back and put that marketing degree to good work.”
But until then, Lee-Samuels is focused on spreading joy throughout central Indiana.
“The community has really been receptive to us spreading joy, and we're just so grateful for that.”
