The Sojo’s Covid-19 Response: Curb-side, Personal Shoppers, Distance Support

/ Witch on Fire

The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions is dedicated to serving our local community in service to holistic wellness on all levels of being – physical, spiritual, emotional – especially in times of crises. We are here to build and protect the interconnected web of existence we all share. We do not currently offer any on-line sales. Nor are we currently set up to make shipments, though that may change in the coming weeks.

I’ve always been inspired by the quote from Mr. Fred Rogers who said “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.'” Our staff remains committed to service as “helpers” of our local community, while implementing responsible safety measures, so that we all remain well throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Rogers Quote "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

To best serve our customers, the following changes to our operations begin Wednesday, March 18, 2020 and will be in effect until further notice:

Hours:

Open-door hours are reduced to  12:00-6:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. We will close Mondays for the next few weeks, at least, in an effort to reduce over-head costs.

Social Distancing:

We will serve in the shop one customer group at a time. So, 1-3 related customers, may come in to browse quickly, with our help. We ask others to wait outside, keeping 6 ft distance. We’ll set out chairs, and take folks in order of arrival.

Hygiene:

In addition to aggressive sanitizing, we require all customers in the shop to wear plastic gloves that we will provide. We can also offer hand sanitizer. Considering all our bins of tiny, touchable things, this will reduce risks.

Call-in Personal Shopper service, Curb-side pickup: 252-758-7656 (SOJO)

Especially if you are at risk, or feeling unwell, call-us on the phone at 252-758-7656 and place your order with our associate as a personal shopper service. We’ll pull together your order for you. You may pay by credit card over the phone, or we can send you a paypal invoice. We’ll bag up your order ready for pick-up at the front door by a friend.

If you need curb-side delivery, pull up to our back door parking lot off of Washington street, behind Winslow’s restaurant. We are across the alley from the Merchant’s Parking lot. (Our lot neighbor’s building still has a big “Iteach” sign, but our door has the green awning.) Call us back when you arrive and we’ll carry it out to you.

Classes and Readings

All scheduled classes and readings throughout March are either canceled, or moved to an on-line platform. Stay tuned for more details about distance opportunities for tarot card readings with Julie Anne. We’ll make decisions about April events in the coming week.

Gift Certificates and Store Accounts

Many have asked how you can support us at a distance, even if you don’t currently need to purchase anything.

  • Printed Gift Certificates: available for purchase for any amount. We’ll mail you the physical certificate. Use it yourself, or give it to a friend; great for gifts, and easily transferable. All we need is your mailing address!
  • Store Account Deposit: Set up a store account with us, and make a deposit. To be used by yourself anytime in the future; store accounts are not transferable unless you are physically present at time of purchase. To apply your deposit at time of purchase, all you have to do is give us your customer name. Easy peasy!

    Screen-shot of Paypal ‘Send Money’ tool.

     

    Two ways to purchase or deposit:

  • Call us to arrange your purchase or deposit, and pay with a credit card.
  • Send money through paypal to orders@thesojo.com. Include in the memo your full name, phone number, mailing address, and whether you’d like a paper gift certificate mailed, or applied to a store account deposit.

Future plans:

Should there be mandated closures of non-essential retail businesses, we will close as directed. Know that The Sojourner is committed to support our staff through these challenges, with no one left behind. We will emerge on the other side of this storm, to continue serving our Sojourner community’s spiritual and wellness needs. We are also working on additional fund-raiser ideas. Stay tuned; stay well; know you are loved and appreciated.

Blessings,
~Heron Michelle
President, The Sojourner Company, Inc.

414 Evans Street
Greenville, North Carolina 27858
252-758-7656 (SOJO)
www.thesojo.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thesojogreenville/
Facebook Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/131673983909739/

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