The Covid Chronicles: Chapter One of ????

UPDATE: Locals, instead of delivery, we are now offering in-store pick up. At check out, you can select "Pickup from 10-11, Mon-Sat" instead of "Ship". Swing by between 10AM and 11AM Monday through Saturday. Give us a call when you arrive and we will bring your order out to your car. 

Hey friends, we wanted to give you an update on the state of our business and where things stand today. If there is one thing we have learned over the last few weeks, it is that the situation is ever-changing. There is little point in planning details more than one or two days in advance. 

First and foremost -- we hope you are all staying safe and healthy at home. Thank you so much to our healthcare workers and everyone else who is putting themselves at risk in an essential job.

Here's the latest update: As of now, our shop and playspace are totally closed to the public, but we are still able to process online orders. Note: Fort Worth customers can use code FORTWORTH. You won't be charged shipping, and I'll drop it off on your porch. 

We wanted this blog post to be a little window into what it is like owning a business right now. It is a scary and unsure time, but we take comfort in knowing that there are SO many in the same boat. It makes it seem more likely that banks, landlords, and government will need to step up in a big way. 

One logistical issue is that we still have orders arriving, so we do need to be there to receive those orders. If it gets to the point where we cannot go up to receive orders, that will be a huge bummer. 

However, we are feeling SUPER fortunate at this point. Although our playspace and shop had to close, we already had online sales as a regular part of our business. So, we already had the infrastructure in place to shift all of our focus to that. While we feel lucky to be able to keep this part of our business going, it's still really difficult not to have our regular playspace and in-store business. Our business was multi-faceted for a reason!

As of today (March 23rd), all non-Fort Worth online orders have shipped out. If you are in Fort Worth, I am dropping off your order on your porch tomorrow. This not only saves us shipping costs, but also means WAY less people will touch your order. (Added bonus: my kids and I have a reason to drive around tomorrow, hah! Put a teddy bear up in your window and we'll keep a lookout!)

Is your neighborhood doing the fun teddy bear hunt? This is my family on our bear hunt today. Notice the GIANT teddy bear on the roof. So fun!! 

Almost everything that we have in the shop is available on the website with two main exceptions: LEGO and Ostheimer. If you are local and you see something you'd like, please send us an email and we can invoice you for it. 

Members, you should have received a few emails from us last week. If not, please reach out. We have the CUTEST craft kits ready for you. Our original plan was for y'all to come to THL and I'd bring them out to your car, but we are pretty sure that is out as of now. So, it may take us a little longer, but we will bring these boredom-busters to your house if you'd like one. We'll send an email about that tomorrow. 

We miss you guys! From our families to yours. 

We have been pretty quiet on social media because somehow we are super BUSY. Trying to do the day-to-day THL things (that have to happen whether we are open or not) with kids at home (not to mention trying to do some school with said kids) is super difficult. But it's also just a bit difficult to post a lot when everything is so unknown. We want to post about the re-orders headed our way, but at the same time, it is very possible that none of them will actually get to us. 

A blog is actually kind of a nice place to host this information, because as it changes, we can change it without having to update a whole bunch of links. 

So, here are re-stocks we have coming:

Tuesday, March 24th: Kid Made Modern. These craft kits flew of the shelves when we found out we'd be home for a while. We can't blame you. They are so cute, and will keep them busy for hours. We're restocking the ones we're out of and adding a few new ones. 

Thursday, March 26th: Mustard felt Wobbel boards. We have three coming. Regular Wobbels will be backordered till mid April. 

Friday, March 27th: Way to Play. These must be a hot quarantine item because we sold out of our last shipment super fast. But never fear! More are on the way. 

Monday, March 30th: Grimm's. We actually have three Grimm's shipments scheduled to arrive on the 30th. Here's to hoping they all do! Here is what we are expecting: rainbow semis, rainbow balls (set of six), rainbow sorting board, rainbow mushrooms, pastel mushrooms, large natural rainbow, natural stacking bowls, large rainbow, natural semis, colorful house, large rainbow boxes, blue to red stacking bowls, red to blue stacking bowls, lollipop stacking bowls, ocean stacking bowls, rainbow building boards. If you are local, we will pre-sell you items. Just shoot us a message or an email. Sorry, we are not pre-selling any of these to non-locals. 

Some undetermined date in the very near future: Schleich. FINALLY! We have been waiting for this one for a while. 

We are working on other restocks too, but focusing on things that sell well online or are specifically quarantine-friendly. 

So in conclusion: We are all healthy. We feel lucky that we are able to keep our online business open and supply you guys with the BEST toys. We are incredibly appreciative of your business. Please keep it coming! Remember, locals can use code FORTWORTH for free porch delivery. 

We miss you guys. We miss our staff. We miss normalcy. Stay strong and take it easy on yourself and your family.

Love,

Suzanne and Caitlin