“And I Feel Fine” (Part 2 of “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It.”)

 

This is Part 2 of “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It”

 

First, let me apologize if you got a little PTSD from Part 1 of this piece. In order for us to move on though, I have to get this era documented and out of the way, so let’s do it!

Now…where were we?

Oh, right!

In March of 2020, we started Private Appointments at Sum Girls (which I loved). We ran those simultaneously with our Online Shop (which I hated). But then, on June 6th, 2020 – just six days before my 49th birthday – brick and mortar spaces were permitted 10 people or less inside their stores, which (to me) meant, “Happy Birthday and Peace Out, Online Store! We’re back in biz!”

It was definitely different though. The business world had turned into the Wild West. There were no real rules anymore. “COVID” was a part of every question and every response.

Business owners were doing what fit their business models and questionable future, hoping their moves were legal and ethical – or they were shameless opportunists, getting away with what they could, while they could. (And some, a hybrid of both.)

Interestingly enough, at this time, small businesses were receiving a nice little uptick of consumer support. As we helplessly watched so many of our beloved shoppes and restaurants closing up, social media moved towards shopping small and supporting local.

Basically, Use it or lose it, baby. The pandemic was kicking ass and it was survival of the fittest. Period.

Our customers were with us though. I remember how I felt as a business owner when certain, special customers left encouraging comments on our social media posts or purchased Gift Cards. I still haven’t forgotten those customers, and how they believed in us – and I never will.

Loyalty. Support. Hope.

That was the small business owner’s mantra, and I knew if ever there was a time to make changes at Sum Girls with the least amount of pushback, that was the time to do it.

I changed our hours, updated our consignment guidelines, reconstructed our donation endeavors, and, as I watched my younger daughter “JJ” (11 years old at the time) growing up and out of the Girls 8-12 sizes, I decided to cut “Tween” out of the boutique completely, concentrating solely on Teen and Women’s Sizes.

We redesigned The Tween Area of the shoppe and transitioned it into a more mature, relaxed space we now refer to as The Lounge. We downsized racks, added a new couch, coffee tables, and a custom, light-up, neon pink sign that says: This Must Be The Place. (Because you know it is, baby! Wink.)

 

 

The glow up at Sum Girls was a bright spot during a dark period, and while I braced myself for the initial resistance that usually accompanies change, I knew the right people would grow with us and come to love the shoppe even more.

With our new, more grown-up vibe, we fell in line with the times. We featured seasonal style suitable for working or schooling-from-home: Sweats, Joggers, Hoodies, T-Shirts, Leggings, Kaftans. It was Covid. No one was getting dressed up anymore.

Formalwear got pushed out of the shoppe as the rhetorical phrase “Where am I going??” was on repeat. People were no longer looking for dressy dresses or office attire, they were staying home and staying comfy, so I stopped torturing myself trying to decide which dressy and office items we should feature – we just stopped featuring all of it.

 

 

Work From Home. School from Home. Everyone is Home.

In September of 2020, that’s how it was. Kids were going Back-To-School, but online instead of in-person. We weren’t happy about it, but we were expecting it. Most kids ended the previous school year at home, so it wasn’t a total surprise. But still, Back-to-School took on a whole different meaning during Covid, because really kids weren’t really going BACK anywhere, except backwards.

Not all kids, but a lot of them. I could tell when they came to the shoppe how distant, anxious and awkward they were. Socialization and education on screens all day is not as effective as in-person instruction and being with peers. It’s just not. And it showed.

Before the 2020-2021 school year started, I put one of my amazing rhymes on our social media pages about coming to Sum Girls Boutique for Back-to-School threads instead of logging-in to class still wearing the pajamas they slept in.

I never considered my post to be anything other than inoffensive Back-To-School marketing, but you know…some people just NEED to be outraged, and sure enough, a supremely angry local lady disagreed with my amazing rhyme so much, she went OFF in the comments of our post AND on her personal page. She thought my amazing rhyme was “cringey,” and as far as she was concerned, it was none of my business what her kids wore when they logged-in to online school.

Okayyyyyy.

Thankfully, I’ve had my fair share of haters so I wasn’t much bothered by her not enjoying my awesome rhyme and Back-To-School marketing. What bothered me was how she (someone who unabashedly referred to herself as a “feminist”) would go out of her way to shred another woman, one who is trying to keep a small business alive, in her own community, during a global pandemic.

Seriously.  Like how messed up do you have to be to do that?

But people were messed up.

Luckily, I have some very special, unforgettable friends and customers who came to my defense, and I realized her reaction to my amazing rhyme made me more sad than mad. I was just trying to help get people out of the house and into the light.

 

The pandemic helped show us just how many people struggle with mental wellness and anxiety, and the importance of finding ways to cope. I got lit up just that once, but it was a good representation of what was happening in our country, and just how many ways we can be divided.

Once we became more comfortable with our new reality, and we weren’t living in a state of constant fear, (around Novemberish, 2020) the Sum Girls social media posts started touting new, Covid-related hashtags and taglines such as #CoronaCasual or “Corona Chic at Sum Girls Boutique!” All of our marketing pointed towards staying cozy and healthy.

High maintenance anything – from food to clothes to people – was OUT.

 

 

For me, the biggest problem was the masks. We wore masks a lot. I think back to the front line, health care workers and all they had to endure, and I know I have ZERO room to bitch about anything, but wearing a mask all day at Sum Girls sucked. My personality is such that I lead with a smile, and a smile isn’t always easy to convey behind a mask.

 

Everyone working at the shoppe dialed it up to 10 on the “smizing” meter. We tried to exude relentless positivity, as we knew people weren’t feeling so positive. And trust me, they had reasons to feel that way:

Big reasons like tens of millions of jobs lost, record high unemployment, and the loss of all special events and entertainment like concerts, sports, parties, plays and movies.

Hard things like people stuck working and parenting at home — full time — longing for a change of scenery.

It was my honor to provide a safe destination in our community so people could treat themselves to a little style and fun. Sum Girls was an escape where people could feel “normal” as more and more everyday things were falling out of existence.

Like hugging and handshakes. We were no longer making physical contact with people outside our immediate family so hugs and handshakes were abruptly replaced by pandemic alternatives such as fist bumps and elbow taps (which I refused to do, because NO).

I mourned the loss of the handshake. For me, it had been a tone setter and deal breaker since I first entered the business world in my 20’s. Wading my way through meetings and lunches, the handshake was my trusted barometer for preliminarily judging people – especially men.

When I was young, my Dad took real time to teach me how to correctly shake hands. I’ve always respected a firm shake, and even now I can usually size up a guy’s level of confidence, intelligence and respect for women in a handshake.

(Can’t do that with an elbow tap!)

 

As we continued to learn more and more about how the Coronavirus was actually transmitted, for some, anxiety and fear morphed into understanding and acceptance. But for others, (me) it created annoyance.

People could NOT get their mask game together. Seriously. Masks were all over parking lots and around trash cans, but rarely IN them. (So gross.) Even at home, I’d walk in and see my daughters’ nasty ass masks just sitting on the kitchen table. BARF. Divas!! 

And the people driving with a mask on, but NO ONE else is in the car?!? I’m sorry, I’ll never get that. No one else is with you! Who are you going to get the virus from??

But it took months for me to get annoyed, because in the beginning, I was definitely scared. We all were.

The pandemic brought on the first time I have ever been fearful about my daughter, “F,” being Asian. There was an alarming increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and I wanted ”F” to be prepared. Kids her age repeat what they hear at home. In other words, Mel Gibson wasn’t born a Jew hater, his dad was a professional, it was ingrained.

At the same time, I’m appreciative for the unique opportunity the pandemic offered in terms  of more parental time. My daughters were home more so we took walks and talked. We had lunch together on the days I worked from home, and although I grieved for them not being around their friends in the cafeteria, it was fun to watch them blah-blah-blah with each other.

 

 

We gave up on striving for “normal” and lived life as-is, finding bright spots and silver linings along the way. One time, on an especially beautiful spring day, I remember  “JJ” and I driving to get manicures. We were singing It’s The End Of World As We Know It  like BOSSES, windows down, volume up – and for a few blissful moments, we forgot about the pandemic.

We were, however, quickly reminded when we accidentally walked into the manicure place, sans masks, to a sea of faces staring at us like we were naked. We still laugh about how we just looked at each other like OOPSIE as we ran back to the car in a fit of giggles to get our masks.

And now, here we are. Second quarter of 2025 and many of us are finding ourselves, once again, plunged into a familiar pool of fear and uncertainty. But we’re not going to give into that fear. We’re going to stay positive and educated and utilize the strength of our community. We’re going to get smart about the news we consume and we’re going to rely on reputable outlets. We’re going to support each other and support local, and we’re going to continue finding joy in the chaos, together.

 

* * * * *

Thank you for welcoming me back and letting me get these two Covid Era posts out of the way. I debated whether or not I should promote them, or just send to friends and fam as I did when I first started writing and blogging. The world has changed significantly since then and I am deeply grateful for you still seeing value here. Thank you for supporting my endeavors, and for your encouraging comments and engagement.

I love and appreciate all of you.

 

#imnotarapperimanadapter #DimSumAndDoughnuts #SumGirlsBoutique