While many downtown businesses were considered “non-essential” and forced to close to the public, one Nashville shop still found “essential” work to do.
Mike Klein, owner of Moonshine Leather in downtown Nashville, “stumbled upon a company that needed help filling a giant order they’d received,” he said.
That order: 12,000 cloth face masks for essential workers.
The company, based out of Chicago, typically works in fabrics and kitchen-related items, like oven mitts and aprons, but they’ve had to adjust amid the pandemic, and they needed more help, Klein said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]This company sent him a sample of the mask and a video of how it’s made.
“We were having a little trouble because the owner of the company was sheltering in place in one state, and the company was in another,” Klein said. “We kind of had an adventurous time figuring out how to assemble these masks from afar.”
Masks are in high demand, which Klein has seen when producing these for the company, which he didn’t want to name. In only four hours, 2,200 of them sold.
Klein was able to give his employees in the leather shop work by taking on this project — almost too much work. He ended up dividing people into teams of three, working in small groups so there was little to no chance of them getting sick.
Of the 20-person mask-sewing team he has, six are new workers. Klein is still looking for more, as his leather shop employees are back working in retail.
“We’re hoping to find some more local people wanting to sew,” he said. “You just need a sewing machine, skills and the time.”
If interested, contact Moonshine Leather at [email protected] or 812-988-1326.
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Editor’s note: We’ve been trying to bring you some good news each week during our COVID-19 coverage. If you’d like to thank someone for something they did for you or someone else, or reflect on something that makes you proud or happy or gives you peace during this time, please email a Bright Spot to [email protected].
“The generosity of customers with tipping — I see tips that servers are given and it brings tears. These servers work so hard and many have really struggled. The generosity of others and the giving spirit is overwhelming.”
— Jennifer VanNess
“Shout out to the principals helping with the food distribution at the schools and posting all the fun little videos for the students. I think Helmsburg and Tiger might have won that category. But Van Buren had some awesome grandparents show up to do a fabulous cosplay in full Star Wars costume (Chewbacca one day and Darth Vader another). And the teachers and PTOs did wonders too! Kudos to the students who completed all their schoolwork and managed to compete in extracurriculars (History Day).
— Mary Gaither
“Churches are reopening with restrictions, but at least public worship is being restored.”
— Kathy Baird Shand
“We downsized our wedding and got married on Saturday! (May 23)”
— Cheyenne Schonfeld
“Everybody was freaking out during the coronavirus, and I even got sick during this time, but one of the absolute best things that I got to do was to spend more time with my 19-year-old son who has just completed his first year of college. If his dorm had not closed, I would not have gotten to spend the last 3 months with him, hanging out, talking about life. He is such an amazing young man and I look forward to his future. I also got to spend 3 extra months at home with my 7-year-old daughter. We had so much fun! Sure, money is tight right now, but I won’t get this time ever again, and I am so happy I got these extra weeks.”
— Amy Williams-Sherman
“Our vinyl test pressings came in this week.”
— John Bowyer (of The Hammer & The Hatchet)
“It’s a good day to be alive.”
— Gary Brumett
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