Brooklyn Mask Makers Step Up During Coronavirus
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Turns out Brooklynites don't have to go far to find protective masks to ward against the new coronavirus. At least five local companies are making and selling masks in the borough.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on Thursday highlighted the companies' efforts and called for city officials to boost those businesses through loans.
New Yorkers shouldn't have to buy masks made from outside the city, he said. It's a "win-win" to support local businesses that produce the now-mandatory face, he said.
"If we want to flatten the curve, we need to also flatten the unemployment numbers," he said in a the Zoom conference call.
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The mask makers all hail from Brooklyn and most currently have face coverings available for sale online. They are:
5MMask, of Bushwick
Debrief Me, of Sunset Park
Does It Even Matter, of Crown Heights
FVN Clothing, of Crown Heights
MCM Enterprise, of Sunset Park
They briefly described on how the coronavirus pandemic changed their businesses. Matt Silver, Debrief Me's CEO, said his company shifted production from China to a Sunset Park factory, for instance.
"We’re here to bring jobs back to Brooklyn," he said, noting also his company sells masks at a 20 percent discount for New Yorkers.
Zam Barrett, of 5MMask, said he looked at the growing coronavirus outbreak weeks ago and decided to shift his clothing business into mask making. Michael Nicholas, of Does It Even Matter, and George Suggs, of FVN Clothing, said they similarly shifted from clothing lines to protective lines.
Joanne Yeung, a product manager at MCM Enterprise, showed off her Sunset Park factory. The space is making masks, but she noted the coronavirus outbreak cut down its workforce to 10 to 15 percent of what it once was.
Adams reiterated the city should support companies creating face coverings for public and economic health.
"It’s critical that the city offer grants to help defray the costs associated with production, which can be substantial," he said in a statement. "These businesses are putting public health above profits during this time of great need, and we should support them in their efforts."
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This article originally appeared on the Bed-Stuy Patch
