Hello again. Daryl here. I hope you’re staying safe wherever you are.

I don’t enjoy sending missives out this often, but as you know, the situation is fluid. You buy our products not just because you like them, but also for the positive social impact they generate, and therefore you have a right to know how we’re protecting our artisans.

I said in my last email that we’re focused above all on the welfare of our people. Nothing has, or will ever, change about that priority.

We’re now going to take drastic steps to keep them safe.

While the situation here in Singapore remains under control, we’re beginning to see a second wave of infections without known positive contacts. To stop further spread, the government has just announced further distancing measures, including the closure of schools and non-essential workplaces.

We support these measures, and will comply ahead of schedule. As such, the atelier is suspending its workshop operations, effective immediately. Artisans will continue to receive their pay throughout this suspension.

We've been preparing for this eventuality, and earlier, I took the precautionary step of moving most of our current stock to home operations. This means that we can and will continue to fulfill orders.

To clarify, anything available for purchase on the website is currently in stock, meaning that any orders you place now will be fulfilled as per normal. It's just that we can't replenish our stocks or release anything new that we haven't already made in advance.

While we will eventually run out of handbound journals if the closure is extended, the atelier still has solid quantities of the goods we can make in advance. These include our folio notebooks and pen cases, and we'll continue to have stock of these on hand throughout the closure.

I won't sugarcoat any statements about the negative impact this will have on our operations. Small makers like ours cannot afford to hold deep stockpiles; we depend instead on steady, constant sale of the things we make in order to pay our bills and keep our artisans fed.

I also know our journals have great emotional significance to a lot of folks in our community. Many of you have told me, in person and in writing, how journalling and drawing in your Musubi gave you the solace you needed, and helped you get through difficult periods in your life.

We've always been grateful for the opportunity to touch lives in this manner, and that gratitude doesn't change even when the atelier is closed. Don't worry, we'll continue to be here for you—just give us a little time to get things going when we reopen again.

Stay safe and keep well. With a bit of luck (and some good social distancing), we'll all still be around when the crisis passes.

Much love,
Daryl
on behalf of everyone here at Musubi

P.S. Even in the darkest of times, we're looking to do good. Stay tuned—we'll soon have information on a charity collaboration with someone you might know.