When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Picket Fence Realty at 400 W. Central Rd., led by Tom and Mary Zander, chose to erect an ever-changing chalkboard on the front of their building and used it to post inspirational messages.
“We had initially planned on putting up some posters in those two spots on the front of our building, similar to those attached to buildings around the world — with wheat paste,” Tom explained. “But when the pandemic struck, we decided to make a chalkboard which would allow us more flexibility. We discussed allowing the public to draw on it, but there were obvious concerns with that idea. Now, we just use it to post random thoughts and messages, similar to the businesses that post cute sayings/thoughts on their signs or in public view.”
Tom is the artist. “I have some artistic talent but need to sketch it out in advance for it to come out looking halfway decent. For more intricate images, I have an old school projection lamp that will display images on the chalkboard for me to trace, but that can only be done in the dark.”
Many customers, associates and random people have noticed and mentioned the chalkboard, he added, so they plan to continue to use it, even once the pandemic is part of our memories.They are open to suggestions for future topics.