How we're handling COVID-19 as a small business

Whew… what a couple of months it has been.

For the sake of transparency, and in support of vulnerability, I’m going to catch you guys up on what’s actually going on with Music City Sewing.

I signed a brand new commercial lease on March 1st, 2020. The space is one mile from downtown, bright and airy, and downright beautiful (and huge).

On March 3rd, the tornados tore by, leaving our entire side of town in shambles. It missed us by 3 blocks, but it took out a lot of our friends’ businesses. Much like many other Nashvillians, we took to the streets, and the farm where I board my horse, and spent the following weeks waist-deep in cleanup. But just when I felt like the mental fog was clearing…

On March 11th, we received word that our industry would be shut down for the rest of the year. COVID-19 meant no concerts, which means no merch, no riser skirts or backdrops, no costumes… nothing. My entire business model is built on live entertainment, so it was a huge wake-up call in terms of practicality. Everything hit a standstill and every single thing on the calendar just disappeared. I’d be the biggest liar on earth if I told you I didn’t get sent into absolute panic.

After two days of yelling at a wall, I got to work on a side project. Yes, I’ve been cheating on Music City Sewing for a little while… I built krystaldouglas.com. It’s there that I’ve chosen to share about sustainable fashion, my experiences in entrepreneurship, a curation of designer resources, and of course, Sterling the ‘Stang. Aside from an abundance of COVID-19 content, I decided to build a page solely dedicated to materials for those making fabric masks for healthcare providers.

The moment that was done, I set to work by sewing masks in Nashville for the healthcare providers that needed them. I started documenting the journey on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube, and then a funny thing happened.

People heard about my candid, transparent take on making masks, and my assumption that my business would go under in the middle of this. I was interviewed by the New York Times. Then NPR. Then the Tennessean. I even ended up on #teawithgaryvee and got to have a heart to heart (in front of hundreds of thousands of people) with my personal hero Gary Vaynerchuk. I’ve never been so nervous I could taste my heartbeat, but then again, I’ve never run a business during a global pandemic.

We were just about hitting our breaking point in terms of how many free masks I could afford to make for healthcare - we made hundreds. I even broke isolation to fumble my way through a deal with a Spanish-speaking woman named Ana who had an industrial machine. We got it loaded up (in between all the horse tack, because let’s not forget, our horse barn blew away just 2 weeks before), put a new motor on it, and at a point when many mask-making volunteers quietly dialed back their donations, we increased production.

I started getting texts and emails from locals who read about Music City Sewing and my fight to keep it in the press. They’re my angels - People who wanted to buy in on the cause - to pay us to make masks to donate.

I couldn’t believe it. Music Row angels, as I call them, all banded together and put in orders for donation. We were able to donate THOUSANDS of masks to Williamson Medical, Meharry Hospital, Nashville General Hospital, Vanderbilt Hospital, St. Thomas West Hospital, Skyline Hospital, Abe’s Garden, countless assisted living facilities, and just as importantly, I was able to pay my stitchers to do work.

We crushed it in full force, and sewed over 6,000 masks for healthcare and essential workers in middle Tennessee.

I’m still sewing masks for donation, but that seems to be coming to a close (I say, while smiling nervously). While this is totally unprecedented, and the future is extremely uncertain, I’m committed to keeping both hands on the wheel and continuing to navigate through the CAT5 hurricane that is COVID-19. It’s taking every ounce of my energy and focus, and I’m giving it my all.

The struggle is most definitely real. The frustration is absolutely valid. The overwhelm is completely tangible. BUT - The amount of perspective I have gained from steering my small business (with a brand new commercial lease) through a global pandemic for two months, starting just days after facing an F3 tornado, has given me clarity in knowing just how strong I am, what I’m capable of getting through, and just how tough I’m willing to become to withstand this.

If we make it through this - I’m not sure I’ll ever think anything is impossible ever again.

I firmly believe that at some point soon in the future I will be able to stand at the top of the mountain and go wow, (by the dang grace of God) I navigated a small business through a global freaking pandemic - I can do ANYTHING.

If there’s one thing I find myself saying, it’s “You can do hard things.” While the future is uncertain, I do know that I’m willing to pivot my whole year and I’m willing to put in the work for the sake of vision and legacy. The past two months have been harrowing, exhausting, and full of 80-hour weeks, but they’ve also been an eye-opening and humbling journey.

I want this to be a little love note of encouragement if you’re reading this and wondering how you’ll make it through - maybe it could serve your business as a bare-bones blueprint.

If you’ve simply stumbled upon this out of curiosity of what I’m up to - it’s finding stride in the simple and mundane and appreciating the little things for what they’re actually worth - especially when those little things are masks.

If you need a mask, hit me up! We’d love to get you one.

krystal@musiccitysewing.com