Howard Elliott Collection
As much of the country was coming to terms with the seriousness of the coronavirus, ART member Howard Elliott was taking steps to help. The Chicago-based maker of mirrors, decorative accessories, pillows, accent furniture and more shifted gears quickly and began making protective masks on top of its product assortment.
“I woke up in the middle of the night last spring to hear on the news that there was a shortage of surgical masks in the country and I wondered how we could help. I quickly realized that many of the materials used in a protective mask are the same materials we use in our production of some of our home furnishing products! After a few prototypes were made in our sewing operation, we have been able to begin producing the masks much more efficiently.” – Brian Berk, President of his company.
Berk and his family donated many of the protective masks to a number of medical facilities, including Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago, St. Catherine’s, St Mary’s, The Will County Senior Center, Munster Community Center in Indiana and the University of Chicago Oncology Department.
Later, the company shifted into production of a new mask, designed to allow for the use of a drinking straw. It enabled folks to observe safe practices while still making it possible to socialize.
“Once the world caught up with supply of masks, we decided to keep it going by having some fun! That is where the Happy Hour Mask was born, I was watching people raise and lower their masks in order to drink … so the flap with hole for a straw was the logical solution. Our product development team had a blast coming up with the seasonal designs and now we are even making custom designs for certain customers.”
For more information about Howard Elliott Collection, visit their website.
