Day 10: The Shudio
Day 10: Merl, Founder of The Shudio
“The name of the game is adaptation for us at The Shudio. It has felt like new changes, guidelines and restrictions have been announced almost every week since the lockdown went into place. We never have more than two employees in the shop + studio at a time. Luckily our space is large enough that we can maintain safe distances [with masks on] and still dance around to Lizzo.
I have been spending time rearranging my apartment - much to my partners job - and encourage others to “shop” within their own homes and find the greenest way to decorate. The shop has taken the time to make some minor renovations so the space is fresh the we can welcome folks back in, and have used social media to introduce a plant care series, our first virtual Staghorn Mounting class via IG live, and are considering a digital Open Door to reconnect with folks.
It’s easy to focus on the negatives of everything happening, but it is truly inspiring to see individuals like Tanya Lozano of Healthy Hood - and now “We Got Us,” a community response organization created in response to COVID-19 19 - rally the community around helping those most in need.
We’ve been overwhelmed - in the best way possible - with the support from our friends, customers, and community over the time. We know a lot of people have turned to Amazon, Target and other online retailers, but I also think this has reinforced the need to shop small & keep us little guys around for when life resumes - in whatever form that may be.
We’ve been running deliveries for a few weeks now, and we were able to offer curbside pickups beginning this May - which has been great to see our regulars (from a safe distance, with masks), even if it’s just briefly! We truly cannot wait until we are able to welcome everyone back into the revamped space and bond again over plants, vintage & all things eco-friendly.”
