We can all agree that 2020 has been a year for the books. As a small business owner, there has been a lot that we’ve had to modify to stay afloat during these times. With markets cancelled and local boutiques closed for part of the last few months, many of our streams of income have been eliminated. We've pivoted our business to create more of an online presence in order to make our products more accessible with the ability to ship or offer pick-up. That said, more marketing, social media interaction, and website updates have been required to make online shopping simple for our customers.
We’ve tried some online pop-up markets (check out the ongoing Merchants + Makers Online Marketplace) as well during this time to help spread the word of our eco-conscious products.
You can find more events, both online and in person, that we plan on participating in through the end of the year on our Events Page.
Prior to the Stay at Home order, we had been working with local art gallery, Lions & Rabbits to host workshops like our Beeswax Wrap Make-and-Take. Pivoting to be able to continue to grow during these unprecedented times, Lions & Rabbits teamed with Pack Elephant, a local gift box company that offers other LOCAL small business products in beautifully curated boxes, to create art boxes in lieu of in-person workshops. Check out our Beeswax Wrap Box and Handlettering 101 Art Box available now!
Lions & Rabbits has teamed up with local Kent District Library to host FREE classes (see our Herbs 101 class that aired early June 2020) and will continue to offer these free classes through the fall. You can look forward to a canning class as well as a paper flowers class through KDL (watch via their youtube channel or their facebook page).
Since My Lovely Muse’s foundation is a sewing business, it was obvious to pivot our productions to producing reusable, cotton face masks to compensate for the shortage of PPE for essential workers as well as the rest of the population once states started opening up and required face coverings in stores and restaurants. Production of our usual eco-conscious products slowed down substantially and at times, entirely ceased due to mask production. Within the first 2 months of the Stay at Home order we had produced over 1,000 masks, donating 1-2 masks for every mask sold. Just yesterday we launched a see through mask to offer more inclusivity to our deaf community, speech pathologists going back to work in the fall, and autistic people who rely on lip reading and expressions to communicate with others. We foresee another surge in mask production next month as schools go back in session.
Stay tuned for more information on the future of My Lovely Muse as we continue to adjust our business to fit into the demands of this pandemic.
TL;DR
Want to shop local but remain contact free? Check out the ongoing Merchants + Makers Online Marketplace.
See where you can find My Lovely Muse online and in-person through the rest of the year on our Events Page.
My Lovely Muse + Lions & Rabbits + Pack Elephant = contact free art box workshops delivered to your home!
My Lovely Muse + Lions & Rabbits + Kent District Library = a variety of FREE classes by local makers and artists
Still selling face masks - standard and see through style - for your safety. Bulk pricing available for orders of 100+.