Dear Tortoise Community:
Apologies for taking such a candid picture for our store newsletter. It is however a glimpse into our current daily life: as brick and mortar store owners and full-time parents to a 3rd grade boy under “Safer at Home” orders.
On Mar. 20th 2020, we closed our doors to the public, unsure of when it would be time again to re-open. Since starting our business, we focused on running a physical store for more than 16 years. A conscious choice that left our online shop relatively small and unchanged. Now it's our situation that has changed and our operation must rely heavily on an online platform to survive. We are fortunate that our passionate and positive thinking employees are working remotely together, making great effort to improve our online shop. Adding new items daily, shooting stories on Instagram (what a new world!), and replying to customer inquiries quickly, and as some of you know, around the clock. Even in such uncertain times, we are striving to get through this crisis together. It is our hope to re-open again with our whole team intact.
For these reasons and more, we deeply appreciate everyone who has 'checked-in' on Tortoise during this closure, and everyone who has made efforts to visit us virtually online.
Through tough times of social distancing, we learn quickly how precious and meaningful a “community” truly is in our lives. A collective that shows support by educating and inspiring one another. Together we are finding new ways to see each other face to face even at a distance.
We hope - not only our business - but also the entire world, will be a better place by surviving all of this together.
It can't be stressed enough that your continuous support is cherished and felt - by us, our staff, our families - and we promise that we will do our best for you.
Be well. Stay safe. And see you soon.
Warmly,
Keiko and Taku Shinomoto
Owners, Tortoise General Store / Tortoise
