Hi everyone!
Thank you so much for your support with Loki & Lola over the past few months! I’ve been learning, making mistakes and learning some more along the way. This summer, I took a pause to really reflect on how I would like to grow my small business. You may not know this, but I started Loki & Lola with curiosity to learn about e-commerce and also to participate in local markets with my Lola (grandma - the original headband queen). The shop is her namesake after all :)
I thought we could enjoy busy days as vendors, being in each other’s company, and most importantly - keep her socially active. Unfortunately, due to COVID, it’s not safe for her to be in the busy market/ pop up setting.
This got me thinking. Engagement in meaningful activities is so important. I work full-time as an occupational therapist/ mental health therapist and have worked with the geriatric and adult population. I know that my Lola isn’t the only senior limited in what they can do during these times. Isolation and loneliness is already so pervasive amongst seniors, COVID 19 has only exacerbated this even more.
As I launch my newest collection of handmade and imported items, I am committing to donate a portion of the profits to causes close to my heart. I’ve seen the benefits of music in both my personal life with Lola and my professional life at work. The way music shifts my Lola’s mood and engages her memory is priceless. It may not completely alleviate the isolation that’s happening, but it can be the balm that soothes it. Bimonthly, I will donate personal am/fm radios to the Long term care homes in Toronto as concerns about infection control has them limited in supplies. I've reached out to them and they have expressed this need.
I hope that these small actions can make a difference. <3
Forever grateful,
Abby
(Pictured: 1st picture: Loki (my cat) and Lola, 2nd picture: Me and Lola in her signature headband)
Fun fact: She has worn that headband everyday for as long as I could remember. She has a few back up ones, but if they were to break, we wouldn't know how to replace it!