FAQ
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Do you offer shipping, or is this just a physical location?
As of right now, we only serve the public at our physical location during our open hours.
BUT! We are launching our online shop on October 1st and will offer the following options:
Pick-Up: In-Store & CurbsideDelivery by courier: Items with this option will be delivered same or next-day by our courier, in between 6-8pm on days we are open. Limited to certain local area codes.
Delivery by mail: We will be using USPS for now and shipping will depend on the options you choose upon checkout.
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Are all of your items made in-store?
Some of our mask chains and mask covers are made by us in-house, but we offer a lot of goods that are made by other manufactures or artists. Our sources for individual products should be listed in each item description.
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to reach out and ask. We love a good excuse to talk up our sources!
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Some of these products are cheaper on the manufacture's site. Couldn't I just buy them there?
Yuppers! I carry some items from large manufacturers for convenience and ease for myself and my local community. Sometimes that means slightly higher prices. We try to keep things as low-cost as possible while also paying our artisans fairly and being able to keep our doors open for people who need to physical location to quickly and easily access the goods we carry.
Each item should have it’s source listed in the item description, and if it’s easier or cheaper for you to find it on their site and buy directly from them, I support that. If it’s easier to just buy from our shop, we’re happy to help! What matters is nothing is standing in your way of finding useful, fun, and fashionable products that help you stay safe in style.
We also have in-house and local artist made goods like mask chains and offer custom decorated masks, which is more rare to find in online shops, and can’t be found from manufactures. -
Is everything made in the USA?
We try to carry as many items we can that are made in the USA, but it’s difficult to find different styles and patterns that are attractive to wear while still being functional, that are sourced in the USA.
On top of that, regulatory organizations in the USA have been impacted in their ability to properly do their job and fulfill their purpose by the pursuit of “getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse” and whether those organizations can retain proper testing and manufacturing methods has become an issue to look out for and be aware of.
Because of that, we’ve chosen to diversify our offerings in our shop, so we offer KN94’s and KN95’s, as well as American-made N95’s. -
What about local Mutual Aid groups? Can't I just go to them for free?
Yes! I'm really glad you already know about your local Mutual Aid efforts. I've met a lot of people who don't know about the amazing people that are serving the public, voluntarily, for free, that can provide resources. Part of the reason that I want this shop to exist is to point people towards local Mutual Aid efforts and raise awareness of such groups.
My goal here is to bring the goods and resources to people who haven't needed, or have yet to connect with local organizations. There may be many reasons: maybe they have the resources, or they don't know about Mask BLOCs, or don't have the time to DIY their own mask decor, or their event needs things in such a large number that it would be a strain on existing volunteer organizations.
We also carry artist-made goods, and premium quality masks that might be just outside the scope of what Mask BLOCs and similar organizations would be able to distribute for free.
If a local Mask BLOC would be more helpful, that's amazing! Locally, we have the Safer Shared Air Collective and the Metro Detroit Mask BLOC. Please reach out to them if you need anything, and support them if you have the means to do so. -
But the pandemic is over... We don't need to worry about COVID anymore.
Oh, how I wish that were true. I would love to just work in my garden and ignore the outside world by playing video games like I normally would be. Unfortunately, COVID remains an issue, doesn't seem like it's going away, and I care about humans too much to continue standing by. On top of virus transmission, it appears environmental factors like wildfire smoke and air pollution are also compounding issues and making masking more of a necessity to retain one's health or prevent flair ups from newly normalized chronic conditions. I feel called to do this, no one else is doing this (as far as I know, please let me know if I'm wrong, please share any other shops doing this!) and so this I will do.
N95 vs KN94/KN95
The short answer: N95 masks are the US standards for respirator masks; KN95 masks are the Chinese standards for masks. It’s just a matter of who is doing the testing and “grading.”
Longer answer: I’m not gonna pretend that anyone in our shop is a scientist that has the qualifications, tools and equipment, and the ability to test the products ourselves. What I can and will do is provide you with our sources of information. I welcome you to look into it for yourself, and thank you for asking that question in the first place! It shows that you’re good at critical thinking, and that you desire more information on what goes into protecting yourself from airborne viruses.