The origin story behind our November Color of the Month, Cinnamon. (And a recipe to boot!)

The origin story behind our October Color of the Month, Royal Blue.

At Fitz We firmly believe in the Scout motto "Be prepared". September is Emergency Preparedness month. (Turns out there’s a month for that.) As parents, we do our best to be prepared for the worst. We make a plan, we build a kit, we talk to our kids, but sometimes we can get overwhelmed by daily life and forget the obvious, but incredibly important... backup glasses.

If you or your family have been impacted by the recent natural disasters and you’re in need of glasses, please reach out to support@fitzframes.com. We can expedite a new pair at a discount. If you don’t have your prescription handy, don’t worry. We can get it from your doctor for you.

Happy International Women’s Day! And did you know that March is Women’s History Month? If you’re not familiar, Women’s History Month is meant to recognize women’s contributions to American history and was first celebrated nationally in 1980 as Women’s History Week. The observance was actually started by a women’s commission in Santa Rosa, California (our CEO’s hometown!) and spread across the country as local groups celebrated in their communities. In 1987, Congress passed a law designating the month of March as Women’s History Month and each year, the President proclaims this publicly.

The pandemic has thrown all of us for a loop and required us to delay, change or cancel many plans in the last year. Like many families, my kids were all due for their eye doctor check ups last March - naturally, the week after the lockdown was announced. I postponed their appointments until it seemed a bit safer to enter an office. I finally decided it was time this fall and took all three kids one morning. Now that we’ve been living with this virus for a while, I felt very safe with the precautions the doctor and his staff had in place and was happy to check this important task off of our to-do list.

2020 has been quite a year for all of us. I’m grateful for many things this year, including the fact that my small business has been able to weather the Covid “new reality” and that we have continued to help those who depend on eyeglasses but are hesitant to leave home to find them. Knowing that kids like mine (and many adults!) have been able to pick their glasses out using our app, with a little less stress, is such validation for the creation of Fitz Frames. The most rewarding part of this year has been the work our team has done in developing Fitz Protect for the selfless, healthcare workers. They are the true heroes of 2020.

Not having to worry about your kids’ glasses is the Holy Grail for parents of glasses wearers. Our founder, Heidi Hertel, talks about the joy of having glasses that are nearly indestructible and easy to replace.

Wow, what a year 2020 has been! Many of us are getting ready for our children to go back to school and never before has that meant so many different things. Families have had to make decisions on homeschooling, in-person school, pods and even gap years. In the last five months, many of us have also had to rethink and reinvent what their “child’s classroom or office” looks like.

It is estimated that over 100,000 small businesses have closed in the United States since the inception of Covid-19. I find this heartbreaking not only because I own a small business myself, but because of how much I love and appreciate these types of companies. Don't get me wrong, I use Amazon in a pinch and dare you to find someone who adores Target more, but for a long time, I've seen how often people take the benefits small businesses offer for granted. I’m worried that we will lose these merchants who make unique products and have an unparalleled love and expertise in their work, not to mention a special connection with the customers they serve. Small businesses are truly the heartbeat of our communities.