Kevin Smith was broke. He was working at a convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey, called Quick Stop Groceries, making five bucks an hour and dreaming of making movies. He didn't have a budget. He didn't have fancy lights. What he had was a set of keys to the shop and a very specific problem: the owner wouldn't let him keep the store open at night to film unless the shutters stayed down.
So, Smith wrote a line of dialogue to explain away the darkness. He slapped a hand-written sign on the outside of the building. It read, in crude black marker on a piece of cardboard, i assure you we re open.
That sign wasn't just a plot device. It became the mission statement for a generation of slackers.
The Birth of the Sign
When you watch Clerks today, it’s easy to forget how radical it felt in 1994. The film is grainy. It’s black and white. It feels like someone smuggled a camera into a real workplace, which is basically what happened. Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, arrives at work on his day off only to find that some local kids jammed gum in the outdoor locks. He can't get the steel shutters up.
Instead of going home, he stays. He puts up the sign.
I assure you we re open. It’s a lie, kinda. The store is technically open, but it looks dead. It looks closed to the world. And that’s the central tension of the whole movie—and honestly, the central tension of being twenty-something and stuck in a dead-end job. You’re there, you’re functioning, but the shutters are down and you’re just waiting for the shift to end.
Why the Typo (or Lack of Punctuation) Matters
Look closely at the sign in the movie. There are no apostrophes. It isn't "We're." It's "Were" or "Were" without the mark. It’s messy. It’s rushed. In the world of high-budget Hollywood, a prop master would have spent three hours making that sign look "perfectly imperfect." Smith just grabbed a marker and wrote it.
That lack of polish is why the phrase stuck.
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In the age of Instagram aesthetics and corporate branding, there is something deeply comforting about a sign that looks like it was made by a guy who hasn't slept. It communicates a specific type of retail reality. If you've ever worked a double shift at a gas station or a closing shift at a bookstore, you know that feeling. You are open for business, but you are not "on." You are doing the bare minimum to survive the day.
The Philosophy of "I Assure You We're Open"
The phrase has evolved past the movie. It’s now a shorthand for resilience in the face of absolute chaos.
Think about the pandemic. Think about small businesses trying to navigate shifting regulations and supply chain nightmares. During that era, you started seeing "I assure you we're open" pop up on social media feeds and storefronts again. It wasn't just a movie reference anymore. It was a way of saying, "Things look weird, and the lights might be dim, but we are still here."
It’s about the struggle to stay relevant when everything seems to be working against you.
Dante Hicks is the patron saint of the disgruntled worker. His catchphrase, "I'm not even supposed to be here today," pairs perfectly with the sign. He is a man who has done everything right—he showed up, he's running the register, he's dealing with the eccentric customers—yet the world still perceives his shop as closed.
Kevin Smith and the DIY Aesthetic
We have to talk about the budget. Clerks cost about $27,575 to make. Smith funded it by selling his massive comic book collection and maxing out several credit cards. He filmed at night, from 11 PM to 4 AM, while the store was actually closed.
The sign was a necessity.
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If Smith had been able to film with the shutters up, we would have seen the parking lot. We would have seen the New Jersey traffic. The movie would have felt "bigger," but it would have lost its claustrophobia. By keeping the shutters down and relying on the sign, Smith created a pressure cooker. The characters can't see the outside world, so they have to talk to each other. They have to argue about Star Wars and relationship ethics.
The sign creates the space for the dialogue to happen.
The Cultural Legacy
You can buy the shirt. You can buy the sticker. You can probably find a neon sign version of it for your man cave. But the real legacy of i assure you we re open is in the independent film movement of the 90s.
Before Clerks, movies about "nothing" were rare. After Clerks, everyone wanted to find the extraordinary in the mundane.
Specific instances of the phrase appearing in pop culture:
- Merchandise: It is arguably the most recognizable piece of graphic design from the View Askewniverse, rivaling even the Mooby’s logo.
- Clerks III: When Smith returned to the Quick Stop for the third installment, the sign made a nostalgic comeback, signaling a full circle for the characters of Dante and Randal.
- Small Business Culture: It has become a "secret handshake" for independent shop owners who want to signal they have a sense of humor about their work.
Honestly, the phrase works because it’s defensive. "I assure you" sounds like you’re already tired of being asked. It’s a preemptive strike against a customer who hasn't even walked in yet. It captures the exact moment that customer service turns into customer endurance.
What We Get Wrong About the Quote
People often think the sign is a joke about Dante being lazy. It’s actually the opposite. Dante is the only one trying. Randal, the video store clerk next door, doesn't care if people think they're open. He’d prefer they think they’re closed so he doesn't have to deal with them.
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Dante is the one who wants the world to know he's there.
He wants credit for showing up. He wants the validation of the transaction. The sign is his tether to reality. Without it, he's just a guy sitting in a dark room with a bunch of cigarettes and a milk crate.
Actionable Insights for the Modern "Clerk"
If you find yourself in a position where you feel like the shutters are down—maybe your career has stalled, or you're running a project that nobody seems to notice—there are a few things to take away from the Clerks philosophy.
Embrace the Constraints
Smith didn't complain that he couldn't open the shutters. He used the closed shutters to create a visual style that people still talk about thirty years later. If you don't have the "perfect" environment to do your work, use the limitations to your advantage. Dark rooms lead to better conversations.
Don't Over-Polish the Message
The sign worked because it was raw. If you're trying to reach people, stop trying to sound like a corporate PR firm. Sometimes a "hand-written" approach—metaphorically speaking—is more trustworthy than a glossy ad.
Acknowledge the Absurdity
Work is weird. Life is weirder. The characters in Clerks survive because they lean into the absurdity of their situation. They play hockey on the roof. They have deep philosophical debates about the construction workers on the Death Star.
Own the Hustle
Dante wasn't "supposed" to be there, but he was. If you're putting in the hours, don't be afraid to put up your own version of the sign. Let people know you're functioning, even if the exterior looks a little rough.
Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by the "grind," remember that some of the most influential art in modern history started with a guy in a convenience store, a piece of cardboard, and a marker. The shutters might be down, but as long as you're inside doing the work, you're open.
Go watch the original film again. Look at the grain. Listen to the rhythm of the insults. It’s a reminder that you don't need a million dollars to say something that lasts. You just need to show up—even on your day off.