Savannah Barrett was having a birthday on May 5 that year, and her family wanted to mark the big 3-Oh in large, colorful style.

But that year was 2020, as the coronavirus was just starting to put a protracted, sad damper on get-togethers of any type.

"All of of our big plans for her birthday had to be canceled," said Trish Barrett, Savannah's mom. "We were crushed."

But then Barrett saw something on Facebook. She turned to Sign Gypsies, which could "plant" surprise birthday salutations in the front yard of her daughter's home: "They literally snuck in during the night and set everything up," Barrett said. "Neighbors drove by and honked all day ... it was perfect."

That delight was echoed by many as the COVID-19 effect propelled yard greeting businesses to strong nationwide sales. People sought alternatives to non-existent or scaled-down parties and found them in these large, splashy public displays that seemed right — and safe — for just about any occasion. 

Those greetings proved irresistible, then and now.

Made your reservations yet? Here's where to celebrate Valentine's Day on the Space Coast

Has pandemic life returned to normal? Suzy Fleming Leonard: How has your life changed in the past 2 years? Let me know

Generally, companies offering the jumbo displays set them up (often by cover of night, or when the recipient's away) and pick them up a day later, with costs varying by company and preferred design.

In Brevard County, both Yard Card Brevard and Sign Gypsies report brisk business, repeat customers and a lot of on-the-job joy.

Shayla Vasso of Rockledge purchased her Sign Gypsies franchise — one of around 800 in the United States — in 2019, after working for the previous owner. The mom of two, Vasso gets help from husband, Paul, and even oldest son Jaxson, 8, with installations.

"This is a solo adventure, but my husband is extremely invested and loves coming up with new ideas and strategies to improve the business," she said.

Sign Gypsies was "extremely blessed," Vasso said, "because once COVID hit hard, business skyrocketed."

"Many families were celebrating at home with outdoor parties, birthday parades, and some were quarantined for their big day but could enjoy the sign from the comfort of their home," she said.

"We also saw an increase of family members and friends sending signs from out of state ... it was so special for them to still be able to celebrate the occasions without physically attending in person."

Luis and Suzy Merced of Viera, parents of two, opened Yard Card Brevard at a time where both were working full time in other industries, around May 2020.

"The idea to open this business came about the time we received our first COVID stimulus payment," said Suzy Merced, a career insurance agent who owns an agency in Viera. "We knew we wanted to use the cash to start a new, COVID-proof business ... how the coronavirus would impact our livelihoods weighed heavily on our minds."

The couple also knew for sure they wanted "a homegrown, organic Mom and Pop business," and did not want to follow a franchise formula.

"Keeping the business 100% local was a priority," Merced said. "We wanted a fun hobby business and something that we could do together as a family, while also giving our kids the opportunity to work and earn some extra spending money."

And as they watched their son, then a senior in high school, miss out on so many milestones — from spring break to prom to his entire baseball season — the idea for safe, distanced events took shape.

"We knew that other families were trying to find a new normal for their children also. Milestone birthdays were passing people by, without celebration, like my mother's 80th birthday," Merced said. "It was just all so sad."

Their business has, she said, exceeded their expectations. Son Luis helps out when he's home from college and daughter Madison, a student at DeLaura and an All-Star cheerleader, helps out on Friday and Sunday nights. 

"I tell people all the time that I do this as much for the reactions as anything else," Merced said.

"I cannot wait to hear and see what people will say when they see what we have done. We have an absolute blast ... we try to really capture the essence of the event and the person receiving the yard card."

For Trish Barrett, the need for a huge show of love and support became even more acutely poignant when her younger daughter, Olivia Franz, had to spend months away from home undergoing cancer treatment in Texas in June 2021.

So while mother, daughter and Olivia's baby, Everett, were on their way back to Florida from Houston, Olivia's husband, sister, and dad reached out again to Sign Gypsies.

As the two women drove down the street toward Olivia and Bryan Franz's house in Cocoa, the young mom's eyes lit up, then filled with tears as she saw her family and "Welcome Home Olivia We Love You" spelled out on the lawn and trimmed in pink, her mother said.

"We stood outside with her sign, crying, taking pictures, reliving everything she had been through in the past year, just breathing it all in," Barrett said.

"The sign brought everything together in culmination of her arduous medical journey. That night, as she slept in her own bed with her husband and baby for the first time in nearly nine months, Sign Gypsies whisked away her sign without so much as a peep."

That kind of story is a celebratory sign in itself for Shayla Vasso.

"I believe, as simple as it sounds, these yard signs really boosted positivity during such a tough time," she said.

"We truly found a way to love someone from afar during a time we couldn’t be close, to remind them in a big way that they are loved. The pandemic took such a huge toll on the overall mental health of Americans and we loved seeing the smiles during the overwhelming, non-stop gloom."

Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bybrittkennerly Facebook: /bybrittkennerly.

Support local journalism and become a subscriber. Go to floridatoday.com/subscribe