July has arrived, so quickly yet so slowly, it seems. My husband Greg and I are getting ready for our annual road trip to Colorado with our dogs, Jeep, hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, food, water. We usually are on the road or already there for the July 4th holiday. We are going a little later this year, so there is a new moon and extreme dark at night for my astral photographer husband. We will be staying in Buena Vista, with a side trip to the Great Sand Dunes,
I have been mostly running the shop on my own–the shortened hours and lack of in-store crafting makes that possible. I have one of my staff lined up to take over while I am away. The thing is, she had a COVID test on Wednesday, with results still pending, and is running a fever. So it’s possible she won’t be able to take over for me. And my other staff are not available either! What to do?!
Our two weeks at our rental house is paid for. My husband is a financial planner, busier than ever during these Covid months; he is exhausted and yearning for this vacation, as am I. So, we are going anyway, whether I have coverage for the store or not. Which would mean closing the shop for two weeks.
In a normal year, this would be unheard of. I would have hired extra staff for summer to help with crafts, camps, the Farmers Market, and to cover my vacation. My hiring has been frozen since March; I was able to pay my staff in May and June using government funds, even though they have been staying home. At this point, my other senior staffer has taken another job. And a more recent hire has been ill for weeks, recovering slowly, despite two negative COVID tests.
On the business front, I have received two grants, PPP money, and a EIDL–Emergency Injury Disaster Loan. So although the store sales are less than half our usual volume, Heartfelt will be able to hang on for quite a long time.
I hope you and your loved ones are well and making it through this strange summer as best you can. Read about our remaining Virtual Summer Camps below if you need help making the summer creative and fun. Thank you for your continued support of Heartfelt!
