Westville’s Well, Wisdom Highlighted For Covid-19 Resilience

“We love our clients to the moon and back!” small business owner Julie Robbins declared from behind her new BioVYZR, a masked air filtration system with an astronaut-like flair.

Since reopening The Well For Women, a center that specializes in massage therapy for prenatal and postnatal women, on June 28, Robbins has been ​“going hardcore on PPE.” The CEO, doula, licensed massage therapist, entrepreneur and mom said that she has been able to invest in new safety protocols — and pay her rent and employees — thanks to various grants and loans from state and federal governments.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz took note.

Bysidewicz on Friday visited The Well as well as Neville Wisdom​‘s fashion design studio, two neighboring businesses in Westville, as part of a larger effort to ascertain the efficacy of state resources aimed towards small businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bysiewicz, chair of the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls, has now toured six distinct businesses around the state, including an early child care center in Stamford, a youth STEM program in Greenwich, a mother-daughter egg-free cookie dough company in Norwalk, and a music therapy clinic in Southington. These diverse businesses are all led by women and/or people of color.

Bysiewicz suggested that special attention be given to these businesses not only because of their unique vulnerabilities, but because ensuring their success offers countless benefits to the broader community.

She noted that 50 percent of all Connecticut workers are employed by small businesses. Around 20 percent of those businesses are minority-owned.

“We want to make sure that they don’t fall by the wayside,” she said, going on to point out that female business owners ​“invest almost all revenue back into their communities, whether by supporting their families or by spending at other small businesses.”

In the case of The Well, Robbins said that ​“women have always been the center of my practice,” stating that the foundational mission of The Well is to recognize that women’s ​“stress and anxiety is real.”

She has been able to take advantage of governmental financial opportunities partly because of her membership with the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC), a nonprofit which offers mentorship and guidance to both emerging and established female business owners throughout Connecticut.

Robbins saidd that through WBDC, she was able to meet with Brenda Thickett, a ​“strategic mentor” who kept Robbins up to date with new resources and changing regulations. ​“They kept me current,” said Robbins. The partnership also made the process feel less overwhelming.

Robbins was able to receive financial support through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, the Connecticut Recovery Bridge Loan program, and the Hartford Economic Development Corporation (HEDCO). HEDCO has also partnered with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the city of New Haven, and The Amour Propre Fund to create a new revolving-loan program, which is offering loans of up to $25,000 to small businesses owned by women and minorities in New Haven, Derby, and Ansonia.

HEDCO granted Robbins a $15,000 loan, which she said allowed her to pay herself, her four employees, and her rent.

“To have these funds is everything,” she said. ​“We were just getting the wheels turning here … without them we would’ve gone under.”

Robbins’ business has been located in New Haven since 2012. She moved her practice into its current home on Blake Street 18 months ago. The expansion was part of her idea to create her ​“legacy project,” which she would lead until her retirement.

“It’s 100 percent my baby,” she said of the new center. Since last February, she has renovated the old factory building into a space that perfectly fits her business’ needs: the old fireplace was converted into a lounge area, and what was once wood storage is now a private meditation room.

When Covid-19 hit in March, forcing her to temporarily close her doors, Robbins said, she was ​“trying not to sweat it.” Though she reopened in late June for one-on-one consultations and massages, she has not been able to restart any in-person group programming, such as yoga classes or The Well’s breastfeeding support center.

Robbins spoke of how she created a series of instructional partner massages videotaped by her 11-year old daughter, in which Robbins kneads her husband’s back while he wears a fake pregnancy bump.

“It’s amazing how innovative people are!” exclaimed Bysiewicz in response.

Robbins said she has also been able to stay open because her work happens to meet the needs of the moment. ​“I’m honored by the overwhelming response we’ve had from clients,” she said, acknowledging that people are currently under ​“tremendous stress.”

Now that she has been able to take care of the basics, Robbins is continuing to invest in protective gear, given that her business relies entirely on direct contact and touch.

“The best way to help our clients relax is by ensuring they trust that it’s safe here,” she reasoned. In addition to old practices to maximize cleanliness, like having visitors take off their shoes at the door and change into slippers, she and her employees now change their clothes between every appointment.

Those who come in for massages are also instructed to lie on their sides rather than face down, so they can feel maximally comfortable while keeping their masks intact.

In the fall, Robbins intends to begin a new marketing campaign to attract new clients, which she said will hopefully allow her to hire more employees.

Bysiewicz inquired as to how the state could have improved their Covid-19 response. ​“It worked for me! No complaints,” Robbins replied, before handing the lieutenant governor a bouquet of echinacea, zinnias, and, in honor of Bysiewicz’s first name, black-eyed Susans.

Over on Whalley Avenue, designer Neville Wisdom was in his downstairs studio sewing face masks when Bysewiecz knocked on the door.

Wisdom owns two shops that meld maker spaces with boutique storefronts, though his Chapel Street location has been closed throughout the pandemic. He estimates that he has lost around 80 percent of his revenue since March. That number lowered to about 50 percent when he started making masks. ​“All I do is make masks!” Wisdom exlaimed. (They can be purchased here for $10 each.)

Under normal circumstances, Wisdom plays a wide variety of roles. Originally from Jamaica, Wisdom also has family in the Cayman Islands. ​“I’m so used to traveling and going places,” he said. ​“This has been like vacation for me in a weird sense … Now I can just stay home and cook. I love to cook!”

He described himself as ​“a sales representative, a counselor for customers, a business person, and a designer.” Even his work within the fashion industry is multifaceted: he not only produces ready-to-wear outfits but makes custom pieces and tailors clothing. Julie Robbins noted that she commissioned an outfit from Wisdom for the grand opening of her wellness center. He has also sold pieces to Bysewiecz and created dresses U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and former Mayor Toni Harp.

He remarked that he has missed the more ​“personal side” of his business, like meeting with customers and ensuring them that their ​“arms don’t look fat in that dress!”

Bysewiecz relished the opportunity to look through a rack of designer dresses, eyeing a floral taffeta number. Wisdom acknowledged that there is simply not a strong demand for occasion wear right now.

The upstairs shopping area has been closed to browsers over the past months. Wisdom reported that he has had only ​“a couple” of folks arrange appointments for custom-made wear and fittings.

He said that moving forward he expects his work to become more centered on tailoring, as more people look to refashion the clothes they already own rather than go out shopping for new, more expensive pieces.

“We are makers — that’s what always sets us apart,” Wisdom said. ​“As creatives, we are able to make the best out of any situation.”

Covid-19 arrived at the worst possible time for Wisdom’s business. He said that January and February are slow — he always expects to make up for the winter lull during March. ​“The spring is like our Christmas season,” he said.

So Wisdom did not receive any spring ​“Christmas” gifts this year. Proms, galas, weddings, and other events were all canceled.

Wisdom also usually holds fashion shows in the warmer weather each year, shutting down Westville streets to accomodate the huge turnout. Now, instead of planning celebratory events and shutting down streets, Wisdom is debating whether to close one of his shops and combine his two New Haven locations into one space.

His store on Chapel Street has been closed throughout Covid: ​“We don’t have the staffing situation to keep it open,” he said. He noted that his ​“landlords have been relatively understanding … Yale has been more flexible.”

“I understand that they’re also businesses who’ve suffered tremendous losses,” he added.

While Robbins raved about the financial support she has received throughout the pandemic, Wisdom said ​“there’s not a lot of good help for really small businesses.” He tried to apply for support through the Paycheck Protection Program. He was able to secure enough aid to pay his employees only one month’s salary. His employees’ pay is inconsistent given that it is dependent on the cost of the products they create every week. So it was impossible to translate the cost of their labor within the application. He usually keeps four to five full-time employees on his payroll; now they are all working as independent contractors.

Wisdom said he was also ​“able to get some funding through HEDCO,” but that it was not enough to make a significant difference in the sustainability of his business. ​“Anything is helpful,” he maintained. ​“That’s the attitude I take.”

“I love designing, but I don’t love the business side,” he added. He made a point to take more time off last year and take more time for himself — which has incidentally made it more difficult to get through the current moment.

“I’m not sacrificing any more of my life to make sure this business stays in business,” he asserted.

“If the business survives, it survives,” he said. ​“I’m just fortunate to have a place to sleep, food to eat, and a wonderful girlfriend.”

If an item is unpopular, he just stops producing it. If another is in demand, he and his employees can produce more relatively quickly. ​“I’m able to be productive,” he said.

Wisdom said that ​“efficiency and consciousness” are his real priorities. ​“We don’t overproduce. We minimize waste, and everything is made here in New Haven,” he stated with pride.

Wisdom has been located in New Haven since 2007. ​“I’m about taking care of the community,” he said. ​“I spend my money here. I buy clothes here. I eat at local restaurants. I know the people who work at the bank and the homeless people who share the streets.”

Many young designers use Wisdom’s sewing machines and studio space to work on their own designs. In exchange, they often volunteer to help with marketing, packing boxes, ironing, or other small tasks that keep the business running.

Dwayne Moore, a 24-year-old whom Wisdom, a father to two children who live in Hamden, described as similar to a son, was the first young person to start regularly working in Wisdom’s studio. ​“He’s the future of this business,” Wisdom said. ​“I want to find more young, conscious people … to create ten Dwaynes!”

“I have a company that functions the way I like to make clothes,” Wisdom analogized. Unlike other fashion studios, he uses entirely digital patterns instead of paper ones. While other brands have archive rooms that store original pieces, Wisdom said at most he may have an image of a past design. ​“We operate in the moment,” he remarked.