Tag: covid19

We’re Ready To Open Our Doors to In-Store Shopping on June 15th!

Posted on by Jim
After more than a year, Raw Materials Art Supplies is back. We reopen for in-store shopping on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 10am!

The CDC announced new guidelines that fully vaccinated individuals could safely resume “normal” activities, both outside and indoors, without wearing a mask. While we are all so happy to be moving in the right direction, we will still require all customers to wear masks while visiting Raw Materials Art Supplies, and customer capacity limits and shopping time limits will also remain in effect. Why, you may ask?

  • Our staff can’t reasonably verify who is vaccinated and who is not. The CA Department of Health still “strongly recommends masks in indoor settings where vaccination status of individuals is unknown.”
  • We want to provide the safest environment possible for immunocompromised people.
  • Social distancing rules are still in effect, and limiting the number of bodies in the store makes social distancing reasonably possible.
  • Time limits not only reduce the possibility of transmission for vulnerable folks, but allow us to minimize wait times on busy days.

We will continue to reevaluate our policies as case numbers drop and vaccination rates rise, and we’ll update you as changes occur. We appreciate your understanding and continued support, and especially your kindness to our talented and hardworking staff as they continue to convey these guidelines. Our Raw Materials staff are working to create safe, welcoming spaces while providing outstanding customer service and recommendations for the best art supplies for you.

An update from Raw Materials Art Supplies

Posted on by Jim

tl;dr We aren’t open yet except for online ordering, hope to open for curbside before June 15, and not sure when we will be opening to in-store shopping.

Celia is recovering now, but after her fever spiked and she started showing other symptoms two weeks ago, she tested positive for COVID-19. She never required hospitalization, but it’s hard to convey how terrifying this has been experiencing symptoms that could spiral out of control at any moment, given how little is still known about this disease.

We don’t know how Celia was exposed. Jim hasn’t shown any symptoms, tested negative at the same time that Celia tested positive, and is waiting to get tested again.

All of our staff have been furloughed, and they were all able to receive extended UI benefits that meet or exceed what they were earning at the store. Our landlord was able to extend forgiveness for some of the rent due during this time, we have cut every possible expense, and while the road ahead looks tough, we at least feel that we are in a position to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and customers above the strong desire to get back to business.

If Celia recovers, Jim’s next test comes back negative, and the local numbers on COVID-19’s impact continue to improve, we hope to start up with curbside service, local delivery, and shipping from the store by June 15. As we do that, we’ll also work on making the changes to the store layout and securing the necessary equipment and supplies that would allow us to welcome staff and customers back into the store.

If you’re new to us, please understand that we’re a mom & pop operation, even more now than ever. Our first priority has always been the health and safety of our employees and our customers. While we have made sacrifices and taken risks to grow our store, we also know that we have benefited from privileges and opportunities that aren’t accessible to everyone.

There’s so much more to say about what is going on in our city and country, but we also know we’re not necessarily the people to deliver the message and want to get back to how we think we can help most: putting the tools of expression into the hands of artists.

Thank you, and please stay safe and healthy.

Safer at home

Posted on by Jim

Friday, March 20 will be our last day of business while our street, our neighborhood, our city, and our state closes all non-essential businesses (which includes us, even as essential as this business is to us and the arts are to all of us). We will only be packing up and shipping orders that are placed before we go in to the store in the morning, after that any incoming orders will not ship until we transition into whatever phase of this crisis comes next. We’ll keep you posted. Stay healthy and safe.

COVID-19 Update: Open for Delivery and Pick-Up

Posted on by Jim

As all of our thoughts are on the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to share an update on how Raw Materials Art Supplies is responding. The safety and health of our loyal customers and dedicated associates is always of the utmost importance to us. We want to be hyper-responsible about containment and prevention, and fully recognize that any gathering place is an at-risk setting.

Given what we know today, we believe it’s our responsibility to do what we can to slow the spread of this virus and minimize the impact on our community. Effective Tuesday, March 17 we are temporarily closing the store to the general public. We are paying our staff and asking them to work from home for at least the next two weeks. The situation is complex and evolving rapidly, and as our situation changes, we’ll let you know.

Our online store remains open and we urge you to shop with us at rawmaterialsla.com. We will continue to fulfill online orders from our in-store stock, and vendors’ warehouses while they are still shipping orders. We offer same and next-day delivery in DTLA, ship nationwide, and you can Buy Online Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) and schedule a non-contact, curbside pickup.

Take care of each other, and we look forward to seeing you back in the store soon.

Jim and Celia
Raw Materials Art Supplies

PS Here is a link to Arts Resources During COVID-19 Outbreak: https://creative-capital.org/2020/03/13/list-of-arts-resources-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/

Art-Making in the Time of COVID-19

Posted on by Jim

As the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to have an increased impact on our communities, we feel it important to share the steps we’re taking in our store to help keep you, our employees, and our communities safe and healthy.

Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected. The safety and well-being of our employees and customers is our top priority at Raw Materials Art Supplies, and this is a rapidly evolving situation that we’ll continue to monitor. Our store is cleaned and sanitized daily as part of our normal course of business. We’ve increased the frequency and extent of these cleanings, in addition to adding resources like hand sanitizer for employees and customers. Our employees have the information they need to stay healthy. We employ practices and make business decisions informed by guidance from the CDC, WHO, and local US government and public health agencies.

Based on the information and guidance we’ve received, our own preparedness, and current state of operations, we are confident our store continues to be safe and we remain open for business during regular hours to meet the needs of our customers. As always, our hope is to make it easy for you to shop when and how you’d like. In addition to our clean, spacious, and well-ventilated store, our team is ready to serve you online at www.rawmaterialsla.com. If we become aware of any condition that would make it unsafe, please rest assured that we’ll close the store until those conditions have been addressed and impacted associates will be compensated for their missed work hours.

Again, the health and safety of our customers and employees are our top priority and we’re committed to doing our part to help keep you safe. Thank you for being a loyal customer.

Jim and Celia Winstead
Raw Materials Art Supplies