Reading, MA -– A new addition to the sights of downtown Reading has made an appearance; that of messages of hope painted on the exterior of local businesses.
The designs were courtesy of Reading resident Antea Amoroso, owner of Antea Amoroso Design, who says that the window designs are part of her #letteringforloveproject.
“It came to me when I was lettering a window for a friend of her storefront downtown. There is something I could create by hand to give back to a community that always supports me, without any financial burden! All I needed was my paint & labor of love? Done! I was so excited to discover something that would bring me happiness while doing something good for others! This is my way of trying to make someone’s day brighter & shining light in a dark chapter of life. It’s my way of supporting these small businesses, with darker storefronts these days, the best way I know how” said Antea Amoroso.
These messages of hope range from music lyrics (“Every little thing is gonna be alright”) to messages regarding favorite events that had to be moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic (“St. Patrick’s Day isn’t Cancelled, it’s Postponed!”). These sayings were crowd-sourced on social media, with Amoroso asking her followers “Do you have a favorite saying that is getting you through this time? Something you want your customers to see as they pass by?”
“I had originally opened it up to local businesses in the Reading area where I live. When everyone was excited and joined on board I had about 10 storefronts on my list” said Amoroso.
The project really started to take off when Amoroso started to advertise the project on social media, asking her Instagram followers to tag a local business that they thought might be interested in being part of the project. Within the span of a few days, the project went from including around 10 local businesses to over 100, with new requests from surrounding towns coming in every day.
According to her company’s Facebook page, Amoroso’s #letteringforloveproject now includes over 100 local businesses, 20 of which are within the town of Reading, with no end date in sight. Amoroso went on to state that she lettered all of the windows herself during hours that the businesses were not open, and that she wore a protective mask and gloves as she did so.
Amoroso’s messages of hope can be seen on a variety of businesses throughout Reading, including Bunratty Tavern, Pamplemousse, Christopher’s Restaurant, and Goodheart’s Children’s Shop. If you see any of Amoroso’s designs in Reading, be sure to tag and share them using #letteringforloveproject.
