“Endure, and keep yourselves for days of happiness.” - Virgil
Navigating the Coronavirus is a challenge we all face together. We choose to be transparent about our struggle and hope you know we are doing everything we can to keep Portland Razor Co. operational. We are imagining and reimagining what life and business might look like post-COVID-19 and how we may move forward together. For this week, and perhaps many weeks to come, that means putting one foot in front of the other.
TL;DR: We have successfully moved all manufacturing operations into our homes so we can maintain social distancing and continue filling orders. Unfortunately we’re feeling the financial strain from the broader economic downturn. Promises of emergency financial assistance from the federal government have not materialized. We are doing everything we can to stay current on a situation that changes hourly. We are supporting our community by shopping small and local for necessities. We are helping the most vulnerable in our community by making masks and donating surplus PPE to our local healthcare providers.
Working From Home
Our fans rallied to support us after the burglary (thank you!!!) but the lost businesses since quarantine put us in an especially vulnerable financial situation. Closing the shop ahead of the Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order meant lost revenue, but we felt it was necessary to recoup after the burglary and slow the virus’ spread. We are heartbroken for the barbers and stylists whose work is completely on hold and thank them for their sacrifice; staying home and practicing social distancing is working to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon.
Meanwhile, we all still have financial obligations to meet: rent, mortgages, loan payments, and paychecks to issue. Shuttering our business and waiting to see how things turn out simply isn’t an option for us, so we moved all of our tools home and continue to work under quarantine. Working at home is nothing new to us and we’re settling into the new workflow. We recognize this is an immense privilege, as many cannot work from home or have been laid off.
We’re a bit behind, but work continues despite shared housing situations and coordinating between our separate homes. We set up a PO box to receive honing orders which we visit once or twice each week. Our local post office has done a phenomenal job limiting contact with customers and possible points of exposure, so the trips are relatively safe.
Seeking Financial Aid
Prosper Portland Small Business Relief Fund
We applied in time for local grant money and will know more soon. It’s not clear who will qualify and how funds will be distributed, but we are hopeful for funds to fill the gap.
SBA Paycheck Protection Program
Though politicians continue to celebrate the program and we’re even seeing targeted ads about it, the $350B loan program designed to help businesses like ours has been a total failure. The measure passed, but banks haven’t received clear guidance on how to issue loans yet. We applied but don’t know when--or if--federal aid will be available.
We want to thank so many people for stepping up in Portland. Built Oregon is taking surveys and hosting webinars with answers to all of our hardest questions, our bankers at Beneficial State Bank have been responsive and transparent about our options. Stephen Green (who has been a great mentor to us since day one) continues to provide timely commentary and advice for the Portland small business community on his Twitter account.
Renter Protections
Portland passed an emergency moratorium on residential and commercial evictions for the time being. Some landlords are working with tenants to defer payments on a case by case basis. Though rent at our empty workshop is still due on the first of the month, Hunter’s landlord was kind enough to defer a portion of his April rent to a time after the COVID-19 crisis. His landlord’s stated goal is to help fill the gap until federal aid is available for those residents who are most affected, even though the law does not require them to do so.
Supporting Local
We still have to buy food and other essentials, so we’re paying especially close attention to where we spend our money. Local small businesses will be hardest hit by the sudden loss of business, so that’s where we’re spending our dollars. It’s also easier to maintain social distancing at smaller markets and food carts!
If you can afford to do so, please support businesses that depend on gatherings: continue paying membership to your usual yoga/martial arts/fitness/etcetera studio. Buy gift cards from your barbershop. Order a bag of coffee online from your favorite cafe. Donate to museums and performing arts. It will take our collective efforts to not let our beloved local businesses disappear.
Facemasks are #trending
N95 masks--those most effective at stopping airborne contagion--are desperately needed by undersupplied healthcare workers. If you have a surplus of masks or gloves, we hope you will donate them. Healthcare workers on the frontlines are most at risk of exposure. If they go down, there will be nobody to help if you catch the virus and require hospitalization. This is very personal to us as we have immediate family members and close friends who are doctors and nurses who need these supplies to protect themselves!
Using a fabric mask is better than nothing and is now encouraged by the CDC. Alex was busy sewing masks over the weekend as part of Crafters Against COVID-19 PDX. “The group was created on March 18 in response to our governor's announcement that Oregon had only 14 days supply left of medical PPE….The goal of this group is to produce masks for patients only, NOT healthcare workers, using readily available materials in order to make the quantity of masks needed for patient use in hospital-based settings.”
Thank You
We have experienced nothing but kindness and support from our fans and fellow small business owners amidst all of this. We can’t thank you enough for answering our call and coming to our rescue. If you would like to support Portland Razor Co., the best thing you can do is place an order. We are not available for in-person visits for obvious reasons, but we are offering free shipping on all orders over $25. It’s clear that you care and want to support small makers like us, and we will do everything we can to stay afloat and help others where we are able. We don’t know for how long this will last, but we are proud to be in it together.
