It is difficult to put into words how shocking and painful this past month has been.  When I think about it how this pandemic has changed all of our lives overnight, I am overwhelmed. 

For those of you who don't know us, we are KIWI and fig.  A woman's shop and a men's shop in the heart of Park Slope, Brooklyn.  KIWI is turning 18 years old this Fall, and fig. will be turning 5 years old.  We have been around to see so much change in our beautiful neighborhood.  The present is a change that we never anticipated.  We are among the millions of small businesses that have been affected by COVID-19. 



We are a small and closely knit team of 7 people that hope to be back together under our shops roofs sooner then later, but of course, like so many we just don't know what the future holds.  We all miss being in the neighborhood, and more then anything we miss our clients.  The daily interactions with our loyal locals is the thread that holds us together.  The relationships that we have formed over almost 2 decades (!) are more meaningful than we can ever express.  We love what we do so much.  The clothing and everything that we choose to bring into the shops is with all of you in our hearts and minds.  So many times when we are out buying for the shops do we say "so-and-so would LOVE this!" 

Since closing the shops last month, we have been showing you all of our merchandise via instagram and from our websites.  It's certainly not the same as being with you in person, but it has kept us connected and your support has been AMAZING and OVERWHELMING.  Social media has this strange ability to make you feel connected and isolated all at once and you have shown us how connected we are.  

Even though we are uncertain of when we will be opening our doors again, we are deep in planning and anticipating the moment we do.   In a lot of ways our 18 year old business is starting over.  Our infrastructure has been weakened and our goal in fundraising is to build back enough stability to open our doors to our beloved community and be a part of the spark that makes our neighborhood so special.   

We know that times are tough for so many people and organizations, this is not in the least lost on us.  There are so many important ways to show your support and be charitable in the world right now.  If you are moved to donate $1.00, $5.00, $50.00, or whatever feels right for you, we would be ever so grateful.  GoFundMe has offered to match up to $500 of fundraising. We hope your generosity can help us to reach our goal and beyond.  We love our community and no matter what, we will all get through this.  Thank you for your consideration.

Love,
Christine, and the KIWI/fig. family

#SmallBusinessRelief