Dear Members,
My name is Jenny Hildebrand and it will be my pleasure to serve as your membership chair for the next two years. I look forward to connecting with you in this new role and encourage you to reach out to me with any questions or suggestions via email.
The past few months have been eventful ones for Circle Craft due to the onset of the Covid-19 virus, and our hearts go out to any of you who have been affected, either directly or indirectly.
I would like to highlight the fact that while our staff have also been impacted, they have nevertheless continued to work hard on our behalf to adapt to the new environment and effectively implement the required health and safety measures in alignment with the recommendations put forward by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
This hard work and flexibility on the part of our staff, during a time of significant stressors, has allowed us to maintain store hours of 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily since early June and we are very appreciative of their ongoing efforts. Staff are now available to meet with you regarding inventory by appointment (call or email the store) but please note that a mask will be required if you wish to enter the back room.
I am happy to tell you that our retail sales have recently almost returned to historical levels. However, due to the store being closed for over two months of the past 6 they are unfortunately down year to date by 57% as compared to 2019. Regardless, the atmosphere in the store remains cautiously optimistic, and even though traffic has been significantly reduced, those people who do come in are more likely to purchase.
Given the increasing likelihood that the present COVID-19 situation may prevent us from mounting a Christmas Market in 2020, your Board of Directors has been busy developing restructuring alternatives which will serve to limit the extent of any financial damage and help to position Circle Craft for further growth post-COVID. Examination of these alternatives are ongoing and we will report back to the members when our plans are further advanced.
Despite the difficulties we all face during this time, I want to assure you that we as a board remain fully committed to doing everything we can to support the Cooperative and wish you much personal success in 2020.
Jenny Hildebrand
Membership Chair
