Over the last few weeks, the world as we knew it has done a complete 360 – and sadly not in the fun, spinning, twirling, dancing way we’d like to imagine… The global Novel Coronavirus pandemic that had been rapidly spreading since January, finally (unfortunately) reached our shores in early March, changing the way we do business – and life – in this quiet corner of Africa. Whether this change is “for good” or just “for now” remains to be seen, but as a company that prefers to always look on the bright (and sparkly) side of things, we’ve decided to embrace this opportunity to do things differently.
But before we get into the details on how we plan to cope with Covid-19 (and what you can do to prevent lockdown from getting you down), let’s just recap where we’re at right now, and how South Africa’s mandatory 21-day lockdown is impacting South African businesses and individuals:
- Schools are closed
- Travel is banned
- All shops and businesses that do not provide essential services have been closed.
The points above paint a rather gloomy picture of the time ahead, but as one of the countless memes shared on social media said:
And so, to help you change your attitude to one of gratitude, here are some of the awesome things you can do while staying safe at home until this storm passes.
SHOP ONLINE
Even though we’ve had to close up shop to ensure our staff’s health and safety (and comply with government regulations), we remain 100% at your service thanks to the wonder of the internet and a little something called Zoom. From now until lockdown is over, Penchant owner and head designer, Jackie will be doing custom design consultations. To book a free consultation, simply choose a time that suits you best, and you will receive a Zoom link for the meeting. If you do not have Zoom yet, don’t worry! Once you click on the link provided, your download will start automatically, or you can follow the prompts for a quick installation before we get down to the good stuff – discussing your design ideas and dreams.
We are also still taking orders via our online shop, and in addition to 10% discount on all pieces in our Oxi-Daisy range until the end of April, we are also offering free shipping across South Africa for all orders placed during lockdown. Deliveries will unfortunately only commence again when normal trade resumes (even though a strong case can be made that jewellery does, in fact, qualify as “essential items”), but if you place your orders now, at least you’ll have a little something extra to look forward to.
KEEP YOURSELF BUSY
Lockdown has forced us all to slow down, whether we wanted to or not. This means we not only have time to do those things we’ve been putting off forever, we even have time to try a few new things, like taking up a hobby or getting crafty. We simply love the idea of making a simple DIY ring holder, so if organising your bling has been on your to-do list for a while, check out this video or these easy step-by-step instructions. We’ll be sharing more of these fun projects with you in the coming weeks, so if you’re not following us on Facebook and Instagram, you have exactly 4 clicks to change that 😉
STAY POSITIVE
The number of confirmed Coronavirus cases keeps rising daily and we have no idea how or when this outbreak will be contained. With so much uncertainty and negativity surrounding our present situation, it’s only human to start feeling overwhelmed and even depressed. So instead of obsessively and helplessly watching those numbers rise, why not focus on the positives instead? Actively seek out the happy stories celebrating people’s strength, resilience and camaraderie, and share these with your friends and family online. A little positivity will go a long way, so search, share and spread the good news!