SUBMITTED PHOTO - Dunmore's Weddingstar has launched a new line of protective face masks.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Weddingstar is getting ahead of the flattening curve.
With relaunch initiatives beginning all over the world, the Dunmore-based wedding supply company is offering people a fashionable way to limit their risk of exposure in public by launching a new line of face masks on its website.
“When we started this we were looking at, what are the things we need to put into a really good quality mask for people? That’s kind of what we started with,” said Weddingstar CEO Rick Brink, adding the masks come with adjustable ear loops, wire for fitting and multiple designs while offering carbon filters for added protection. “We decided to take that and now start to make it more fashionable than just a black mask. As people start wearing them to work or into the grocery stores, we’re adding more personality to these masks.”
Brink added they began planning for mask sales back in March and launched the new line earlier this week. Some grocery stores in Canada and the United States have already announced that customers must wear masks in order to shop, and Brink says he anticipates that trend will continue.
“What we thought was going to happen four or five weeks ago when we started really building out this whole new category is starting to happen,” said Brink. “There are going to be a lot of companies coming out with masks, so we know we have to be fast to get in front of the market. From what we’ve seen, we’re doing something that really sets us apart from most companies with the selection and the volume that we’re doing, and the type of mask.”
Brink says Weddingstar was dealt a serious blow when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Sales dropped by more than 85 per cent in mid-March, leading to more than 60 temporary layoffs. But the plan to produce face masks – as well as a rebound in personalized gift sales – allowed Weddingstar to rehire a number of its employees, and Brink says they could even be hiring more in the weeks ahead.
“We are expecting to bring back, in the next couple weeks, most of our employees and also possibly even hiring. We’ve only been up for about 48 hours and we do have quite a few orders already coming in, but our marketing is really going to be getting kicked off early next week,” said Brink, adding Weddingstar is also seeing orders from companies looking to put logos or names on masks.
“We think it’s going to be a strong item because it’s something everybody’s going to need. We’re not talking about weddings where 1 per cent of the market is going to need our business, this is something that affects every single household.”
It’s something that has already affected daily activities at Weddingstar in Dunmore as well, as Brink says employees must follow a number of new social distancing measures to reduce the risk of exposure and spread – starting with face masks.
“With what we’ve seen happen at some of these beef plants and things like that, with us having 100-150 employees coming into the building, we’ve put a lot of precautions into place for safety,” he said. “One of them will be wearing a mask when you come into the building. Once you’re into your work area that’s cordoned off – so you have your distancing space – you can take your mask off and work. But when you leave that space you put your mask on as you’re walking through our facility to help eliminate that risk.”
Weddingstar has more than 40 designs available on its website, as well as masks in eight solid colours, and Brink says roughly 100 more designs will be available in the next few weeks. Anyone interested in purchasing masks can get 40 per cent off by using the code WSMASK40 at weddingstar.ca.
“We also have these fashionable headbands with buttons, so people who are wearing a mask for a long period of time during the day, it takes the relief off the ears,” he said. “We also brought in these really soft rubber extenders that work really well, that the mask can be attached to. Now you don’t have to attach your mask to your ears.”
