Editor’s note: This is part of a series exploring how Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs and small businesses have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and their plans for moving forward.
Maker: Lauren Herzak-Bauman
Business: Lauren HB Studio, a ceramic arts studio based in Lakewood
Let’s go back to mid-March. What was going through your mind as the world began changing?
I think at first, we were all just in shock. The thought is, I have to focus on online sales, but so does everyone else. So, how am I going to make myself stand out and how am I going to try to pull people toward me, and also make a case to buy products that aren't essential? One of the first things I did is, I just went into disaster recovery mode. I had a ton of stock sitting around ready to go out to orders that were now canceled. So, I offered mystery boxes. You didn't get to choose the pieces; you could choose the color and the size. And I promoted this, and it was a wild success.
Herzak-Bauman handpicked "mystery boxes" to offer customers online. [Lauren Herzak-Bauman]
What are some other ways people may be able to support artists moving forward?
So the other thing I've been thinking about a lot that I think other artists might get on board with, is the system of, or philosophy of, patrons in the arts for individuals. I think one way that we can keep supporting individual artists is to create a patron or support system for those artists. So, maybe you want on a sculpture, but you can't shell out six hundred dollars or five hundred dollars at once. So maybe you would pay forty dollars a month. And then at the end of the year, you have your sculpture.
An untitled piece from her "Stacks" sculptural series. [Lauren Herzak-Bauman]
What was your motivation behind starting to make face masks?
My mom and I started making masks for Our Lady of the Wayside, just to help that group in some way. And then all of a sudden, a friend said, “Oh, are you selling masks? I'll buy some!” And so then it was a simple Facebook and Instagram post, and it just took off. It's so interesting because, even though I deem art as essential, art's a bit of a luxury item, right? I've never made something that was as essential as a facemask. And then the funniest thing is that I brought my husband in on the business. He's an artist as well. Out of all the things that we could have done together as a first business, mask making was not one of them. But I really love it.
Creative fabrics make Herzak-Bauman's masks unique. [Lauren Herzak-Bauman]
