The coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses across the country to make wrenching choices: do they close their business and risk their economic livelihood or stay open and risk the health and safety of their employees and customers? 

The answer likely hinges on whether they provide an essential service to the community - or can pivot into doing that. Olive Loom, a local apparel craft company founded by two University of Arkansas alumnae, has made that pivot by focusing on the production of face masks, specifically for those in hospice care and the homeless.

Lou Reed Sharp, a retired nurse who graduated from the College of Education in 1976, and her daughter, Leah Garrett, who earned bachelor degrees in both 2003 and 2007, as well as a masters in 2010, started the company in 2011. Their hope was to provide jobs to women in rural communities who needed work, but were unable to travel due to being a caregiver, a stay at home mom or having limited mobility.

With the coronavirus outbreak, Olive Loom has enabled their employees to keep working from home while providing a community need. It has already donated 20 CDC-approved reusable masks to Washington Regional Hospice House and have earmarked one mask to be donated to a homeless shelter for every five they sell. The company also offers a feature that allows customers to donate a mask to someone who needs one.

By partnering with Personally Yours, Olive Loom now has 10 employees making masks, with the capacity to train and make more masks. As of March 31, the company has produced 549 masks.

"Our seamstresses had skills and enjoyed sewing," Sharp said. "It was a way to keep them working or create secondary income — a way of giving back to the community. This gave them a way to buy their medicine, pay their utilities and meet other needs.

"We really want to keep the community safe and help where it's needed."

Read more about how the U of A is Determined to Help