To Our Artists and Friends:
Well, here we are. It’s weird and unsettling to say the least, particularly for independent creative folks. For the last 20 years, Threadless has helped humans express their emotions, individualism, and rebellion through art and design.
UPDATE as of June 1st: We’re excited to announce the extension of one component of our Community Action Plan – the ease of getting your Artist Shop online by simply emailing your logo to start@threadless.com. From there, our team will be in touch and will quickly get to work getting your shop set up. We’ll also collaborate closely with you to make it awesome. Have a friend who could use help with an online shop, not to mention some extra income? Spread the word because we’re here to help!
Now more than ever, we must celebrate and support independent artists, small business owners, and all humans impacted by the current state of things. Threadless has always put art and its community first – we wouldn’t be who we are without you! We want to help. Here’s our plan:
Increased earnings through May 31st
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that many independent artists, musicians, and small business owners like yourself are depending even more on additional income streams like Artist Shops.
Through May 31st, we reduced our base fees by 20% on all apparel items sold in your Artist Shop* so you earned even more during this time.
*This discount applied to your Artist Shop only and did not apply to items sold in the Threadless Marketplace.
Have a friend who should set up a shop, or know restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other small businesses that could use a leg up?
Spread the word, and let them know about this initiative…
How to grow sales in your shop
The simplest formula to earning a steady income stream on Artist Shops is to regularly create and share new content. We recommend creating a new design every week and promoting your shop on social media at least once a day. More detailed tips and best practices for growing your shop can be found here, in our Creative Resources blog. We’ll be sharing additional promotional messaging and assets over the next few days that are specific to helping you find the support you need in today’s situation.
Supply chain update
Given the capacity and redundancy, we expect only slight delays in production and fulfillment at this time.
The safety of our print and fulfillment teams is a top priority. As you may know, each Threadless and Artist Shops item is custom-printed and made to order, which requires some processing time. Due to COVID-19 related delays and recent demand, some orders may take slightly longer to ship beyond the stated processing time. As this situation is quickly evolving, we are continually monitoring and will notify our customers as soon as possible if delays may be expected with their orders. You can rely on full transparency and communication from us should any additional delays arise.
Additional resources for funding, self-care and more
We also know there’s a lot to read out there about COVID-19 on all the measures we can and should do to prevent the spread of the disease. Below you’ll find resources available to help independent creatives like YOU maintain a sustainable practice AND stay connected during this difficult time.
All of us at Threadless banded together to get these resources together (while we too are working from home and practicing social distancing). Some links are pulled in from this wonderful resource compiled and constantly updated here, while others we came across or were sent by friends.
Share all of these links far and wide so we can support each other in the coming weeks.
Financial resources / emergency funding
- Start by looking up emergency relief funds in your state (up to $500)
- Additional funding info here by state
- Advocacy and legal help by state / area
Tips for working, meeting, and gathering remotely
- How to handle remote workshops
- How to Get People to Actually Participate in Virtual Meetings
- Livestreaming infrastructure and support
- Zoom best practices for hosting a digital event
- Convince your boss to let you work remotely
Fun and interesting stuff that will carry you through
- Free online games from indie developers
- Free Ivy League courses online
- MOOG and Korg free synth apps!
- Netflix Party y’all!
- Neil Gaiman Cool Stuff (and likely plenty of other authors doing this)
Please don’t forget about your mental health
- All of this can be a lot, and it’s OK not to be OK
- A variety of other mental health resources
Have kiddos at home?
- Learning from home
- Free Creative Cloud Tools
- Visit your favorite places without leaving home (Chicago, but likely similar for other big cities)
- Virtual museum tours
- And even more virtual museum tours
- Mo Willems weekly streaming session
Other big lists that will prove useful when you’re at your wit’s end
Let’s fill the world with art, and bring joy, entertainment, and relief to everyone. In this time of social distancing, we are all still connected.