This Bellingham canvas company retooled with COVID-19 and now it’s growing
A Bellingham company wasn’t planning to make products to slow the spread of COVID-19 into the summer, but the demand is so strong they are getting ready to hire more workers.
In April the Oyster Creek Canvas Co. was one of several local companies that pivoted from its normal operations to making face coverings and gowns. By May the marine canvas company partnered with an Alaskan firm to make the Humanity Shield. It’s a clear face shield that also has a cloth covering around the chin area, making it effective in stopping the spread of the virus while also being very breathable, said Cate O’Connell, sales manager for the company.
Rapid Response PPE, the Alaska-based inventors of the Humanity Shield, have sold more than 30,000 shields. Oyster Creek Canvas has sold more than 2,000 shields and the volume of orders is increasing every week, O’Connell said.
Oyster Creek Canvas, which is in downtown Bellingham at 946 N. State St., has seven employees but plans to hire six more to keep up with the demand. The company, founded in 2000, has restarted work on its original products, which include marine canvas production and repair work.
Regular face shields protect the wearer from droplets but do not sufficiently protect others and alone are not a substitute for masks, according to Washington state. However, a face shield that includes a cloth extension that is attached to the entire edge of the face shield may be substituted for masks.
Owner Greg Keeler said he had a feeling the product might take off when he started wearing it around town.
“When we were just setting up I wore one of these shields to the (Community Food) Co-op grocery on my lunch break and was approached by a bunch of people, saying ‘Hey, where did you get that? I want one,’” said Keeler. “That’s when I got the first indication that these things were going to go through the roof.”
Keeler said the Humanity Shield has since been snapped up by state and municipal governments, schools and universities, the hospitality industry, and individuals. One of Keeler’s first orders was from a local choir who wanted shields so its members could meet and sing together again safely.
O’Connell said the Humanity Shield provides more room to breathe than a face covering, which means that common issues, like fogged up glasses and difficulties breathing are no longer problems. It is also much cooler than a mask as it allows for proper ventilation.
Oyster Creek’s market is Washington and Oregon. The shields are not currently sold in stores but are available for $59.60 each on the Oyster Creek website.
