Hurricane Ida Updates
Dear Clients & Friends,
Since Ida made landfall as a category 4 hurricane on Sunday, August 29th I have refrained from posting on social media or sending any unnecessary communications via email or text because, well, let's be honest: Jewelry isn't a priority right now and I do not want to take any attention away from crucial recovery reporting.
Interestingly, I am experiencing a form of déjà vu. The start of my career in the luxury goods industry began in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina, which as most of you know, also made landfall on August 29th.
Inspired by the unity in our community during the recovery as a then 15-year old, I used jewelry as a form of artistic expression. For the first time in my life, I experienced a deep sense of purpose by those who resonated with my work. As someone who struggled with chronic depression, I attribute the discovery of jewelry design as part of my own recovery.
Being a jewelry designer for half of my life now, I have always understood the reality that jewelry is a luxury, not a necessity. For this reason, I have been able to wake up each day feeling humbled and grateful to not only make a living doing something I am passionate about, but also have the opportunity use my business as a way to give back to my local community and organizations I care for.
Although my brand is internationally-recognized, shipping to clients all over the world, Hurricane Ida has impacted an area where my "base clientele" resides. I wouldn't be where I am today without this group of amazing patrons, many of which are Krewe Members.
For the sake of the incredible women I employ, it is my responsibility to ensure we resume operations as quickly as possible, while also being sensitive to my team's personal home recoveries. I cannot and will not ask them to come back to work until they have stability at home with their families.
Furthermore, I am also fully aware that when the time comes for us to resume operations, not everyone may be ready to engage on social media or be open to receiving communications regarding luxury goods. As any individual directly impacted by this storm, I understand this.
Nevertheless, as a business owner, I also have an obligation to fulfill unfulfilled orders, minimize our down time, continue operations and keep this employment functioning.
Please check back here, or in the CCVIP Facebook Group for official updates as to how things are going and when to expect normal operations to resume. Until then, my team and I are extremely grateful for your patronage during these challenging moments in history.
Lastly, August Signature Design Collection Part 2, originally scheduled to release on Sunday, August 29th has been postponed until further notice. A new release date will be formally announced in the near future.
Friday, October 1
We're back in business, baby!
Today, I am excited to announce, we are officially back to our normal shipping operations with limited access to our private showroom.
Here's what you need to know:
✔️ All online orders will ship in 2-5 business days
✔️ Local pick-up is available
✔️ You can still book a private showing here
Signature Collection Launch Schedule:
- Sunday, October 10 - August Collection Part 2
- Sunday, October 17 - September Collection
- Sunday, October 24 - October Collection
Need customer service assistance?
- Email sales@cristycali.com
- DM Official Cristy Cali FB Page
- Call or text 504-722-8758
Thursday, September 16
There are a few things I wanted to share with you to keep you up to date as to how things are going on my end...
As a highly sensitive and empathic individual, the last two weeks have been mentally and emotionally difficult for me to deal with. Seeing everyone's pictures of their shattered homes and reading incredibly emotional posts since Ida hit has made my heart ache. And I'm not going to lie... I lost a little motivation to make jewelry - it just doesn't seem important right now.
I have wanted to respect everyone's space and as a result have personally been relatively inactive across my social media business pages, and will probably continue to do so until the end of this month.
My marketing agency will be posting pictures of my New Orleans Lady Collection for the next two weeks to highlight designs, from which 10% of sales will benefit the Cajun Navy Foundation.
In regards to operations, Sol Lopez & Fati Ayala are dealing with a lot right now. Their homes are uninhabitable and I want to give them the space they need to focus on their personal lives. We are extremely fortunate that the showroom & distribution center, located in St. Rose, did not suffer any damage. Although power has been restored, it's flakey, there is no internet access and the AC is not working. So we have a few things to address there before the girls are able to return to work, all while they take care of themselves first. Meanwhile, Sarah Joy Rose is filling in to take care of customer support.
If you would like to make a direct donation to help support these amazing girls, here is their Venmo info:
Sol Lopez, Sales Manager @Karen-Lopez-331
Fatima Alaya, Operations Manager @FatimaGalya
Sarah Joy Rose, Customer Service Manager @sarah-joy-rose
We may be able to begin shipping orders around the first 2 weeks of October, but the showroom will remain closed until circumstances allow us to serve you at our highest standards.
Everything feels so scatted right now 😅 I'm having a hard time figuring out how to move forward from here after "being on a roll" with my Signature Collection launches in such an organized way
This disruption in flow may force me to launch 3-months worth of Signature Design Collections in October (August P2, September and October) so we can get back on track in November and December.
Seeing y'all continue to post in appreciation for my work during this time of crisis has really inspired me. Sometimes I forget how healing and uniting our community can be for all sorts of reasons. I just wanted to acknowledge how much it means to me, how much it helps motivate me to continue my work when I see how much it means to you 💖 The truth is, we need each other. No matter how small of a role you play in someone's life to elevate them, you matter.
For the next two weeks, I'll be taking advantage of this "down time" to make some more Signature Designs for the coming months, all while I continue to focus on myself. My energy, happiness and state of mind is one of the big reasons why you're here, why you enjoy my creations and why our community is so meaningful. So, if I'm not feeling good about myself, I cannot expect you to either.
So just to recap: for the rest of September we will focus on promoting jewelry designs from the New Orleans Lady Collection to help raise money for the Cajun Navy and also support ourselves. Starting in October, we will likely begin promoting 3 months worth of Signature Design Collection to release 3 Sundays in a row. Then, hopefully by November we can get back on track with monthly Signature Design releases.
Lastly, I'm really excited to announce that these highly sough-after Hammered Moon Phase designs will be back in stock in the next week!!!! I think they've been out of stock for a year now. If you've been interested in these pieces, please make sure you're signed up to receive a notification for when they restock. Click the links below to sign up to receive the email/text because as you know, they tend to go fast!
Wednesday, September 29
Hard to believe it's been a month since the storm passed through. This has been been a long and difficult 4 weeks for each of us as we navigate through the recovery process.
Sales Manager, Sol Lopez, and Operations Manager, Fatima Alaya, both live in Kenner just 15 minutes away from our St. Rose showroom. Their homes suffered enough damage to deem them uninhabitable
Friday, September 3
We are relieved to have recently learned our showroom & headquarters, located near the New Orleans International Airport, made it through the storm with no damage.
While this is great news, not only is our building still without power, but some of our team member's homes are also uninhabitable. Due to these extreme circumstances, we hope you understand that we can offer very little customer service assistance at this time.
We are extremely grateful for your patronage during these challenging moments in history. Although we do not know when we will be able to resume processing orders, please rest assured we will begin shipping as soon as we are able to get back to work in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your compassion & understanding.
Tuesday, August 31
At this time, we still do not know the extent of damage to our headquarters, located in St. Rose, Louisiana. Furthermore, our Sales Manager is sheltering in place while our Operations Manager has evacuated to Houston, TX.
Although we do not know when we will be able to resume processing orders, we are extremely grateful for your patronage during these challenging times. As soon as we are able to resume processing orders, we will inform you via social media, email, text, etc.
Thank you for your compassion and understanding.
