Social distancing might not be a natural match for southern hospitality. But as the coronavirus spreads and the COVID-19 situation escalates, we all have to do our part to follow guidelines released by public health experts (and comply with the stay-at-home orders issued by local authorities) to keep our families and communities safe.
Our schedule at the KMM & Co. studio has changed, and orders will be delayed. Here's what you can expect from the KMM & Co. team in the coming weeks.
The KMM & Co. studio is closed until May 1
KMM & Co.'s first priority is the safety and health of our staff and community. Our studio is currently closed due to two emergency measures: a stay-at-home order issued by the city of Atlanta and a shelter-in-place order issued by the state of Georgia.
While the Atlanta order ended on April 8, the statewide order was recently extended through April 30. Though we don't like to be away from the studio, all KMM & Co. employees will be following the rules and staying home for the full duration of the shelter-in-place order. The health and safety of our community and team are our first priority, and the process of making and shipping bags will have to wait.
In the meantime, we are still taking orders, and we'll work as quickly and safely as we can to make and ship your orders once we're allowed back in our studio on May 1. But there's no way around it: Our shipping times will be longer than usual. If you have questions or need help with an outstanding order, just send us an email at hello@kmmco.com and our team will get back to you as quickly as we can.
In the meantime, you can still place an order
To answer our most frequently asked question first: Our team will continue to offer customer service and take online orders, and our website is still open 24/7! (We're SO happy to be asked!)
Our staff has to stay home, but our customer service team is still on duty a couple of hours each day. Email us at hello@kmmco.com, and we'll be happy to answer your questions, talk handmade leather goods with you, or just have a conversation with you about life in quarantine. We've been so happy to hear from every single one of you!
We all want to say a big "THANK YOU!" to all of you who are placing orders and supporting our team. KMM & Co. is a small business with a staff of fewer than 10 people, and each one of us is grateful to those of you keeping KMM & Co. afloat. Every single order -- from a key fob to a tote bag -- means the world to us and makes a difference to our team.
Shipping will take longer than usual
Every KMM & Co. product is handmade and made to order, and that process takes time. On March 24, our last day with the full team in the studio before the stay-at-home order, we all worked together to fulfill as many outstanding orders as possible. After that date, the owners of KMM & Co. have worked a few solo shifts to get some orders made and shipped. However, shipping delays are inevitable for outstanding orders.
You can check out our typical processing times on our shipping page. We are expecting delays in processing and shipping times due to both the stay-at-home order and the shelter-in-place order. While totes typically take up to three weeks to ship, they will take longer over the coming weeks since we aren't allowed to be in our studio right now.
Remaining carryall preorders will be one of the first things that we address when we're allowed to reopen our studio, and all other outstanding orders will quickly follow. Our customer service team is always available at hello@kmmco.com if you have questions about shipping options, processing times, or anything else.
Our showroom is closed to visitors through at least May 31
Another announcement we wish we didn't have to make: We will not be accepting appointments at our showroom at The MET through at least May 31. (We'll post updates here if that date needs to be extended!) We can't wait to be able to welcome you to our studio again once it's safe to do so.
In the meantime, everybody -- including wholesale customers -- can shop online. Just email us if you need help or if you'd like to set up a wholesale account with us. We're also brainstorming some fun ways to show you what's going on behind the scenes at KMM & Co. HQ.
On that note, we recently filmed a video to show you the process of making a tote from start to finish. It feels a little bittersweet to share it, now that our studio is temporarily closed. But if you're waiting on your tote or just need a distraction, you can check it out on our Instagram!
Making tote bags doesn't save lives, but staying home does!
While we can't be sure of how this situation will evolve or how long it will take until things feel a little more normal again, we ARE sure about one thing: We appreciate every single person who continues to support us and other small businesses in this weird and uncertain time.
Whether you're browsing our website, placing an order, or just saying hello on Facebook or Instagram, we see you and we are so grateful for you! Each member of the KMM & Co. team is doing our best to support small businesses in our community and donate to nonprofit organizations caring for vulnerable populations. We are so grateful to others who are doing the same.
Making tote bags doesn't save lives, but staying home does! As anxious as we are about closing the studio and being away from our work as your orders continue to come in, we're so grateful for the community that continues to visit and support KMM & Co. We hope that you and your families stay safe and healthy, and we're here for you. We'll get through this together!
Update as of March 27: As a "thank you" for your patience and support, we are running a Surprise Sale to take 25% off all orders placed during the time that our studio is shut down. We're so grateful to everyone who is placing orders (and patiently waiting for us to be back in the studio to make and ship them)! ❤️
Reach out anytime to hello@kmmco.com. We'd be happy to answer questions, talk leather goods, or just have a conversation with you, and will get back to you as soon as possible. From our family to yours, thank you so much for standing by the small businesses in your community, now and always.