The owner of a small bakery chain in Ohio has become an internet sensation after posting a sign in the window of its stores declaring the business to be "politically incorrect" - a move that resulted in doubling the stores' sales.

The Blaze is reporting on the story of the Schuler Bakeries in Springfield, Ohio which posted a sign in its store windows that reads:

“Notice: This store is politically incorrect. We say Merry Christmas, God bless America, we salute our flag & give thanks to our troops, police officers and firefighters. If this offends you, you are welcome to leave. In God we trust.”

After a photo of the sign hit the internet last week, it went viral and has caused a boom in business.

Trent A. Schuler, CEO of Schuler Bakery, says the signs he posted in the company’s four stores were not a marketing ploy but a statement of his beliefs about the world, religion and freedom of speech.

“I felt like there’s a large majority out there who are silent who have some of the same feelings and views that I share,” Schuler told WHIO. “I felt it was time for someone to step forward. … I believe God has blessed me in so many ways, and I wanted to share that with others as well as being a positive voice in society supporting folks who put their lives at risk for us every day.”

He admits that he didn’t expect such a positive reaction to the signs.

“I was quite surprised that so many people have been so supportive of what I’ve done,” Schuler said. “This was done out of love. The expectation I had was that there would be mixed reactions. So far, it’s been overwhelmingly positive.”

A store employee named Katelyn Jackson told The Blaze on Sunday night that a few patrons didn’t like the sign but none delivered their complaints in person. Instead, they chose to deliver them via harsh phone calls to the bakery. She didn’t seem too concerned about them, especially not after the shop found so many more new customers.

“We still live in America,” Jackson said, “and we’re standing up for what we believe.”

Dozens of people have also taken the time to post encouraging messages on the company’s Facebook page, thanking owners for having the courage to post the sign and for standing up “for what’s truly correct.”

Supporters of the sign are definitely in the majority.

The Dayton Business Journal published an article about it and launched a poll asking readers if they would be more or less likely to do business with a shop like Schuler’s that said “Merry Christmas” and “God Bless America”.

An overwhelming 68 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to shop at such a store with only five percent saying they would look for somewhere else to shop. Twenty-six percent said it wouldn’t make a difference one way or the other.

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