IMPORTANT: COVID-19 & Temporary Shop Closure

In the future, before noting that "life has been crazy," I will be using the past few weeks as the basis of comparison to determine whether is just busy or actually crazy. 

That being said, these are indeed some crazy times we are in. Whoever told 2020 to "just bring it" needs to apologize.

On Monday the Executive Order came out from Gov. Kate Brown, and without getting into the various sections and paragraphs to the letter, the end result is that we have temporarily closed the shop to walk-in business effective Monday, March 23, 2020 at 1pm.  We do not have a realistic or reasonable way to guarantee or enforce the 6ft. social distancing requirement when multiple people are in the store.  Our #1 priority is the safety and health of our staff and our quilters.  Closing for a bit is simply the right thing to do.

You may noticed I emphasized "temporary" and "walk-in business."  Why, and what does that mean for all our quilters? 

1. We view this closure as 100% temporary. While we don't know, and have no control over, how long the Executive Order will be in effect and closing our shop, we WILL reopen.  And, just because our doors are closed to walk-in business, doesn't mean we aren't still hard at work! As a matter of fact, today we received a LARGE shipment from Benartex - large enough we will be rearranging some of the store to fit it all in!  We have other shipments coming in the next few weeks.  When we reopen there will be a lot of great new fabric and samples ready for you!
   
2. We are absolutely still accepting and shipping internet orders.  Go to our website HERE to place an order. 
   
3.  Need something you can't find online?  Send us an email (thecottonpatch@msn.com) or send us a Facebook message (www.facebook.com/keizercottonpatch) with what you're looking for and a phone number we can call to reach you - we will do a phone order and ship you what you need!
   
4. We will open for single shoppers on a by-appointment-only basis.  This is the only way we can enforce the required social distance.  Contact us by email (thecottonpatch@msn.com) to arrange a date and time, and one of us will meet you at the store.  We will only allow one single person at a time during the scheduled shopping time. 

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All that said, please indulge me a moment to speak to something near and dear to our hearts.  While Oregon may not be as hard-hit by the pandemic by other states, the measures in place while necessary at this time are extremely impactful to all local businesses, not just ours.

If you have talked about supporting your local businesses, or have thought about doing more business with them - whether we're talking restaurants, grocery stores, corner stores, hobby shops, book stores, pet supply store, or quilt shops - THE TIME IS NOW. 

During these large scale closures, big box and chain stores, rest assured, will be fine.  Your local businesses, however, will be in greater jeopardy. These are the livelihoods of your friends and peers, and cornerstones of communities.  It's hard to imagine a fixture like Powell's Bookstore in Portland going out, or not being able to go to Konditerei here in Salem anymore - I'm not saying those businesses are in danger - they're merely examples of some great local hallmarks, but this is the economic reality local businesses face that the chain stores simply do not.  

Instead of running through the drive thru, consider getting takeout from one of the many wonderful local restaurants 

Instead of hitting up Walmart for pet food and groceries, consider calling one of the local groceries or pet supply stores for curbside pickup

Instead of Hobby Lobby or Joann's, think about your local craft and quilt shops. 

The only way to get through this is to get through it together.