Diane Greenbaum of Kidcreate Studio in Alexandria
Kidcreate Studio hosted its grand opening March 14 — the day after Alexandria and Fairfax County closed schools to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Within a few days, gatherings of more than 10 people were banned. Soon after, Gov. Ralph Northam ordered all non-essential businesses to close.
Kidcreate Studio owner Diane Greenbaum and her staff never had the chance to welcome children to their brand-new studio.
Knowing that 90 percent of her business model was based on in-person parties, camps and classes and only 10 percent on retail sales, Greenbaum had to shift her business model in a big way if she wanted to survive.
Retail expanded to more than 30 percent of the business in a very short time. The store carried basic art and craft essentials like window crayons, dry erase markers and washable kids paint for children’s classes and parties. Greenbaum drove to Manassas to her chalk supplier to make sure she would have plenty of chalk for parents to purchase for outdoor activities. Her staff stocked supplies for older kids, including watercolor sets, sketch pads, paint-your-own porcelain bowls and kits to create your own stepping stone.
The studio launched Do-at-Home Art Kits that parents could pick up or have delivered to their homes. The kits included a video lesson and helped kids incorporate art into at-home edu-cation. The studio’s Mother’s Day kits containing a child-parent activity were popular, too.
Greenbaum was most excited to launch virtual classes. “That’s just bringing a whole new element back — that interaction that they need, that they are craving to engage with other people. [Kids] get to show off their work [and] they get to talk about it,” Greenbaum explained.
The studio also launched virtual birthday parties. Birthday kids were able to choose from 17 different themed kits that Kidcreate Studio delivered to each friend invited to the birthday party and directed by a live virtual teacher. It was important to Greenbaum to give her instructors the opportunity to teach. “They didn’t come here to stock supplies on a shelf or retail, they came to interact with kids,” she said.
Reactions from the community have been overwhelmingly supportive. The lone negative phone call Greenbaum received her first week was from a caller demanding she shut down. It completely stung, she said. Yet, the understanding and thanks she received from parents and many repeat customers sustained her through the low times.
Like many other local businesses, Kidcreate Studio found a way to give back to the community. Customers had the option to donate towards “essentials junior kits” containing scissors, glue, construction paper and other supplies. Kidcreate Studio matched every donation. Greenbaum was touched by the outpouring of generosity from donors, some of whom did not even have kids of their own. They were able to create more than 100 kits for distribution by the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Greenbaum paid close attention to Gov. Northam’s COVID-19 requirements for businesses as Virginia slowly reopened. She talked to her landlord about renting additional space to allow for social distancing. She made sure that customers under-stood that safety was the priority and that facemasks and following studio policy would be required.
By June, Greenbaum was able to open her studio to families (or people who live together) for private events. July is bringing camps back to the studio, with physical distancing and lots of sanitation and safety measures in place. (Learn more about camps and events, virtual birthday parties and more at kidcreate.com/alexandria.
Throughout the process, Greenbaum remained confident of the unique benefits Kidcreate Studio offers to the community, particularly for its littlest members.
