As COVID-19 continues to impact the City of New Orleans, many small businesses have been forced to close altogether or adapt in ways they would never have imagined just a couple months ago.
For Simply Dispensary, a local wellness products retailer with locations Uptown, in Mid-City, in the Marigny, and on the West Bank, that meant transitioning into a completely new industry in just a matter of weeks.
Since the beginning of March, Simply Dispensary has harnessed its relationships with suppliers and manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad to provide much needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and hard-to-find supplies—hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, and 3-ply disposable face masks—to restaurants, convenience stores, and other businesses.
“When it comes down to it, we are in the business of selling wellness products,” said co-owner and general manager Sean Partridge. “As this outbreak started affecting our city and the people we care about, and you can’t find the supplies you need to stay safe and well anywhere, we knew we had to start offering these products ourselves.”
By mid-March, when the City of New Orleans announced the stay-at-home order, Simply Dispensary had already brought in inventory of hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, and hand soap. “We had these products available when places like Walmart didn’t,” Partridge said.
Face masks, gloves, cleaning materials and more supplies are available at Simply shops.
The company then went on to source 3-ply disposable face masks, which are available in 10-packs for $19.99. “We’re probably the only retail outlet in New Orleans with disposable face masks in stock, and we’re not aware of anyone else in the country that carries 10-packs, “ Partridge continued. “We worked directly with the manufacturer to custom package these products for our customers.”
With personal protective supplies in stock, Simply Dispensary has been allowed to operate as an essential business since the stay-at-home order went into effect. But the company is playing it very safe and cautious, opting not to allow customers inside their shops, instead offering curbside pick-up at four dispensaries located throughout the city.
Customers call-ahead to arrange their order and pay over the phone, and one of Simply’s employees — wearing gloves and a face mask — promptly brings it out to their vehicle.
Simply Dispensary has also been working to get protective supplies to those in the most need. The company has so far donated 500 bottles of hand sanitizer to a local retirement community and residential treatment center, and is eager to donate more in the coming weeks as they get new shipments in.
If you’re looking for protective supplies in the New Orleans area, stop by one of Simply’s four operating locations which are open daily from 11am to 7pm. Please call-ahead to arrange your order:
UPTOWN — 4507 Magazine Street — (504) 309-8134
MID-CITY — 231 N Carrollton Ave — (504) 298-9201
MARIGNY — 2268 St. Claude Avenue — (504) 656-6361
WEST BANK — 3867 General Degaulle Drive (closed Wed, Sun) — (504) 309-9295
You can also contact them if you’re interested in making a donation of PPE or hand sanitizer to a local charity, retirement community, or health care facility.
This is a sponsored post courtesy of Simply Dispensary.
