We are SO very grateful to all of our customers and supporters for helping us get through a tumultuous 2020 - thank you!!
We started the year strong and then we were hit by the triple whammy of a pandemic, civil unrest and government mandated closures causing the loss of our Downtown Seattle and Honolulu stores.
Our customers quickly shifted to ordering from Steepologie.com and our Apple/Android App which kept us afloat - we scrambled to move shipments to a larger facility in July 2020 which we outgrew in 3 months! Luckily our landlord had a much larger space nearby and we were able to move once more in end of November. We are now finally settled in that space and our e-commerce orders are shipping faster than ever.
We were also fortunate to have a GoFundMe Campaign in which we gave matching gifts for certain levels of contributions - this was 100% for our Team Members and we are so thrilled that our fantastic customers contributed over $20,000 which went back to our Team Members in the form of $1,000 checks, gift cards for food and other assistance.
However, we knew we had to do more for our Team Members who were shell shocked yet willing to work on the front lines - thus, we raised pay for all Team Members to $16/hour, instituted a matching 401(k) program and started offering Health, Dental and Vision coverage.
Also, we were able to open several new stores: Issaquah opened in September 2020 and Bainbridge Island opened in November 2020. Thus, we ended the year with 5 stores and a much stronger e-commerce platform. We've also had to adjust store operations due to the ongoing pandemic. For example, we will not be offering drink service in any of our retail locations until traffic level restrictions are lifted.
This is too long already so we'll finish with the point - THANK YOU!!!! Whether you are just a fan because you've visited one of our stores or you are a long-time customer who orders regularly, YOU made a difference in the 20+ lives of our Team Members!
We are going to continue to open new stores and grow, because small businesses willing to push forward regardless of the uncertainty are what is needed in order to get people back to work. MORE GOOD STEEPIN' STUFF TO COME IN 2021!!
Best,
Joe & Andrea
Co-Founders Steepologie Teas