Lawn Greetings Industry Going Strong In Tough Economic Times

Thanks to Tom from http://www.special-delivery4u.com/ in Wisconsin for putting this together...

We have all heard on the news how bad the economy is and maybe even some of you have been affected by it but there are some industries that are still enjoying growth. One of those is the Lawn Greeting industry. The Lawn Greetings industry is defined as small businesses which help their customers celebrate various occasions and events by renting displays that are set up in a recipient’s yard. The displays vary greatly from giant wooden character signs and small "critter" signs, as they are referred to in the industry, to a wide array of elements for decorating a front yard such as 3D plastic or 2D wood and coroplast characters/shapes that include from the most popular, plastic pink flamingos, to the more obscure, plastic cows or over the hill themes, to the more traditional, stork signs for announcing births.

A recent discussion on the Lawn Greeting Association forums shows that the industry is still growing despite the economic downturn. Seven of the eight companies that commented on the discussion said that they were pleased with the number of deliveries they were doing. Tom of Special-Delivery 4 U in Muskego, Wisconsin mentioned seeing a 25% growth in sales for May compared to May 2008 with an additional 20% in June 2009. Janice of Front Yard Friends in Chesapeake, Virgina said "We had 30 yards in one night plus all of the pick ups from the night before ( 22). I honestly don't remember doing that many before but maybe we did." Cindi from Coastal Yard Cards in Sussex County, Delaware reports a 50% increase in sales for the month of June 2009 compared to last year at the same time. She thinks a new improved website helped with sales traffic. "A good web presence and search engine results are a key factor to getting your business out to the public". Cindi also says that while it is difficult in her area to spread the word about Lawn Greetings due to being the only business of it's kind in more than half of the state, she thinks once people actually see what Coastal Yard Cards offers, they absolutely love it and want to order a rental for their next occasion!

Not only is the industry seeing record sales, there are new companies starting up. Cheryl of Monkey In My Pocket Designs Yard Celebrations in Dutchess County, New York said "I have only been open for about a month so I don't have any of last year's figures to compare but I rented out 26 displays for May and I already have 32 orders for the month of June."

Even companies that specialize in birth announcements are doing well according to Amy of Special Deliveries in Pleasanton, California. She says "I am busier than I have ever been before. I don't have numbers, but for the last couple of months I have been doing 2-3 rentals a week (all mine are 1 week rentals)."

There are a little more than 840,000 people celebrating a birthday everyday of the year in the United States. In addition to that there are anniversaries, engagements, weddings, births & graduations throughout the year. Each one of those special occasions is a chance for a Lawn Greeting company to rent a display. It's really no wonder why the Lawn Greeting industry is still going strong and even growing in these tough economic times.

Macy's On Board With Pink Plastic Flamingo

Visitors Flock to Herald Square for New York City’s Most Anticipated Show as Macy’s Takes a Retro Turn With a New Topiary Spin on Plastic Lawn Flamingos.

"Dream in Color" is the theme of Macy's 35th annual Flower Show, taking place April 5 through April 19 at its New York City Herald Square location. The inspiration? Executive producer Robin Hall drew from a running joke about lawn ornaments, most specifically, a pink plastic flamingo.

Awake from that dreary nightmare of cold, snowy days and step into a wonderful, floral dream at the 35th annual Macy’s Flower Show®. Here, the Main Floor of Macy’s is transformed from a shopping destination into a vast landscape of color and texture and aromas galore. This fairytale-like setting that is sure to inspire awe in spectators and horticultural enthusiasts alike, will be on display to the public at Herald Square from Sunday, April 5 through Sunday, April 19, 2009.

Centerpiece
The iconic, plastic lawn flamingo will never be the same again as visitors entering the 2009 Flower Show via Macy’s Broadway entrance, encounter Macy’s own topiary flamingos which are sure to be unforgettable! These beautiful, hand-crafted flamingos are designed by Macy’s Parade Studio and planted with over 5,000 pink kalanchoe. Three sets of these dramatic twin flamingo topiaries each standing at more than 10-feet tall will salute the simple lawn decoration that has impacted gardens all across the country.

Windows
Take a journey around the world with Floradora the Flamingo, as Macy’s Herald Square’s world-famous Broadway windows are transformed into six living gardens, significantly housing thousands of live flowers. These landscapes designed by award winning Director of Herald Square Windows Paul Olszewski, portray an oversized flamingo traveling to various destinations including Mexico, Japan, New York City, Las Vegas, as well as, a rainforest and the tropics.

Check out the pictures at http://home.aol.com/new_in_home/photogallerytall/_a/the-macys-2009-flower-show/20090409115909990001?icid=main

And the Macy's Press Release at http://www.fds.com/pressroom/macys/macyseast/media_kits.asp?strAction=ShowItem&itemid=9344&pr=1

Stork on Feb 8, 2009 Episode of "King of the Hill"

WOW - Did you see it, Did you see it???

The Sunday February 8, 2009 episode - "Lucky See Monkey Do" of "King Of The Hill" that aired -- (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) showed a brief Stork Baby Announcement Display...

This is the first episode of the series to air in high definition and was totally awesome, especially if you are in the Lawn Greetings/Yard Cards business...

Several members from the LGA (Lawn Greetings Association, Inc) noticed it and the "buzz" was on...

This just goes to show how far Lawn Greetings/Yard Cards/Stork Baby Announcements have come over the years - They are becoming an integral part of Americana and the way that we celebrate special occasions - Baby Announcements - Welcoming Home Mom and the "Little Bundle of Joy", Birthdays, Retirements, Graduations, Anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Mother's/Father's Day, Flamingo Flockings and any other special occasion you can think of...

We will be contacting FOX to see if they can do a "Flamingo Flocking" for one of the character's birthdays...

Stay Tuned...

Signing off for now...

Mike and Marlene

WOW...What many of us have been waiting for, for years...Not just for the newbie, although we wish it had been around when we started out, but also gives tips that some experienced lawn greeters may have overlooked or not thought about in a while...

Jane - from Phoenix Storks has compiled an ebook from posts to our lawn greetings business owner's forum, input from the experiences of other lawn greeters, and her very own experiences...

It is an AWESOME ebook, especially for someone thinking about starting up a lawn greetings business...A definite "Must Have"...

For more information, visit http://www.ultimatelawngreetingsguide.com/

Also, if interested in starting up your own lawn greetings business, visit http://www.lawn-greetings.com/, and http://www.lawn-greetings.org/ - You won't be disappointed if you do...

Looking for a Lawn Greeting or Yard Card in the Lorain County, Medina County, Cuyahoga County, or Ashland County area??? Check us out at http://www.yardcardsurprise.com/

If this is not in your area - Check out http://www.rentaflock.com/ or http://www.flamingoed.com/ for A Lawn Greetings Company in your area...

Happy New Year 2009!!!

Wishing everyone a Very Happy, Safe, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year 2009 from Yard Card Surprise - Mike & Marlene!!!

We also wanted everyone to know that we have added many new displays that are sure to be hits this upcoming Spring and plan to add more...

Our new displays are:

• 2D Bees and Bee Hives - I just love the adorable little heart on the door of the Hive...
• 2D Candle Cupcakes
• 2D Cherry Topped Cupcakes
• 2D Antelope/Deer
• 2D Eight Balls
• 2D Golf Display - Golf Balls with sayings, Golf Carts, Golf Bags, and Golf Greens
• 2D Monkeys
• 2D Mouse On A Cheese Wedge
• 2D Music Notes
• 2D Old Age Traffic Signs
• 2D "Over The Hill" Wacky Phrase Tombstones
• 2D "Puppy Love" Puppies - These are sooooooooooo cute...
• 2D Princess Crowns - Great For "Sweet 16" Celebrations
• 2D Red Hats - For All You Red Hatters Out There...
• 2D Skunks

Please check out our website - http://www.YardCardSurprise.com to view all our offerings and we look forward to serving you and all your special occasions...