By: Jessie Monsivais Photo via: CC Blissbox Facebook – Taken by: Jason Page – Box art: Amberlee Allee
Local small businesses are moving quickly to adapt and maintain services and products during this time of uncertainty. Staying connected to customers in a variety of ways is no longer a suggestion, it’s a necessity.
Last Friday, Lisa Sutter, co-owner of The Vine Juice Company, was sitting in her shop pondering the strenuous effects COVID-19 protocols have placed on small community businesses. With public health officials urging citizens to help slow the spread of the coronavirus through social distancing, isolation measures have taken a toll on small businesses. Forcing them to shut down their brick and mortar stores or leaving them unable to participate in essential profitable events such as the Farmer’s Market or ArtWalk.
“That was my first moment of stress about this whole situation. It wasn’t really about us or our business, but about everyone else,” shares Lisa. “I was at Meadowbrook that day, and was thinking, how could we visit every small business and get them some kind of revenue?”
Lisa had a breakthrough idea, birthing the revival of CC Blissbox. She reached out to Sara Dolson, creator of CC Blissbox, for a helping hand to creatively sustain local businesses with extra Blissboxes that would contain goods from the vendors affected by business and event closures.
In one week, Lisa collected 89 boxes and reached out to over 60 local businesses. Yesterday marked the release of the first three boxes, valued at over $200.
“I had a good number of Blissboxes in my closet. I assumed people didn’t throw them away because they’re so pretty,” says Lisa. “Every time you got one, it was just like a little treasure.”
Similar to the original CC Blissbox, each one will be filled with local goodies. The differing versions of CC Blissbox will be dropped in the original release order of that particular design. However, for this effort, the contents of the boxes will remain a mystery for a live auction online. Proceeds from CC Blissbox sales will benefit the artists and businesses featured in the box. Lisa says they are still accepting and curating the boxes.
This incredible revival project is just another example of how our local community is coming together to support one another during this time!
To pitch your bid visit, www.stronger-together361.myshopify.com.
To coordinate dropping off your extra Blissbox, send an Instagram message to @StrongerTogether_361.
