SARASOTA – Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, the demand for medical supplies skyrocketed with more people buying them quicker than they hit the shelf. Following the announcement by the U.S. Surgeon General recommending that anyone out in public should be wearing a mask the need for them inspired Suncoast business and resident to start making their own.
“I never ever thought that my little hobby turned into something so vital in the face of
a pandemic,” said Jana Marie Gouwens.
Gouwens owns of Viziato By, Jana Marie Esthetics a spa in Sarasota, she had to close down her business temporarily due to the pandemic. Gouwens says while her friends and family tend to patients infected with the virus, she couldn’t just stand by so she put her sowing skills to the test.
“It turned from a few to a little over 100,” Gouwens says.
Gouwens first started with donating the masks to nearby hospitals, but as the demand grew she turned to making and selling them to the public. Owner of the Music Compound Jenny Townsend also took her sowing skill and applied them to teach her staff how to sow in order to provide a job for them and help give back to the community anyway they could, but the work doesn’t come easy.
“It’s quite a process. From cutting the fabric, all the different sizes for the s trips and for the masks, and we’re making males. women’s and child’s. It’s definitely hard work, I’m probably working harder than I’ve ever worked before,” said Townsend.
Townsend says she has put in at least 12 hours a day into making the masks. HER mask design serves dual purposes and has an added compartment allowing you to add you’re own filter to keep the virus out. But she isn’t the only business on the Suncoast selling masks to the public.
“We didn’t know if there was going to be a big need, we just posted them on Facebook and we were sold out of the first batch within not even an hour,” said Dottie DeCarlo.
DeCarlo owns Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming in Lakewood Ranch. DeCarlo says she noticed the need for masks after customers began buying her bandanas to cover their face. So she reached out to a former employee who’s helping produce masks for various companies including Amazon.
“When we started getting those request we realized that maybe we can find a way to help serve people with these masks. We said we have a great resource, let’s bring it local.,” said DeCarlo.
At time when a shortage of medical supplies makes it almost impossible to find the slighted item Gouwens, Townsend and DeCarlo show us in the peak of a global health pandemic you can turn to your community to be there to help.
All masks start of at different prices depending the fabric used. You can find the Gouwens on her Facebook and messaging her. Townsend is selling her masks through Molly’s a Chic & Unique Boutique. And DeCarlos is selling in her shop and is working on putting them up for sale on her website.
