In a World on Fire, One Bay Area Store Owner Wonders: “What’s Next?”

. Northern California has been ablaze since rogue dry lightning storms, caused by climate change, ignited wildfires in August. Last Tuesday, smoke from an inferno in Mendocino turned the sky in the Bay Area, about 150 miles south, a cloudy, ominous red that lasted until afternoon. “What’s next?” friends texted incredulously. I begged them not to ask., which had re-opened for in-person shopping in June, felt downright apocalyptic.

It’s not dissimilar to how some people who have come into Hero Shop have felt over the last month or two. “It’s cute but where will I wear this?” they ask, considering a tiered floral skirt or crisp cotton shirt dress. Until recently I’ve told them, to a picnic! To the kind of ladies’ birthday lunch you said you just came from! To a socially-distanced wedding! But now, living underneath a smoky sky day after day, it’s a more difficult question to address.

This is not new. Since the pandemic started I’ve struggled with how to encourage people to buy things in spite of the world ending. We’ve donated sales to relevant causes , made steps to adopt more environmentally friendly and racially just practices, and tried to be sensitive with our messaging. Thankfully, our clients understand, and they’re shopping to support us. Even if they have to wear that crisp cotton shirt dress on their couch.

But for how long? The sad reality is that the fires weren’t unexpected, just early. California’s fire season typically begins in October. Around that time last year, because of high winds and the burning wildfires, PG&E preventatively shut off our power for two days and the store had to close. Presumably that’s still ahead. May that be the worst of what’s next.Sign Up Now

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