Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FACE SHIELD

Date Range From

2020

Date Range To

2020

Materials

PLASTIC, ELASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

5

Length

14.5

Width

11

Description

CLEAR AND WHITE PLASTIC FACE SHIELD WITH ADJUSTABLE ELASTIC EAR LOOPS. THE WHITE PIECE OF PLASTIC FORMS THE BOTTOM FRAME OF THE SHIELD WITH A CHIN PIECE. THE CLEAR PLASTIC FORMS THE MOUTH SHIELD. THE WHITE PLASTIC IS ATTACHED TO THE CLEAR PLASTIC WITH A HOLE AND A NOTCH ON EACH SIDE. THE ELASTIC IS STRUNG THROUGH TWO CURVED OVER LOOPS IN THE WHITE PLASTIC. THE ELASTIC IS DISCOLOURED AND THE PLASTIC SHIELD IS SCRATCHED, BUT THE SHIELD IS OVERALL IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

MEDICAL & DENTAL T&E

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

BUSINESS

HEALTH SERVICES

PERSONAL CARE

History

ON THE 26TH OF JUNE 2020, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN MET WITH TRISH LUU, OWNER OF THE LOCAL BUSINESS UMAMI SHOP. ALONG WITH BEING A BOUTIQUE GROCERY STORE AND RESTAURANT, UMAMI SHOP PUTS ON COOKING CLASSES WITH KITS CONTAINING INGREDIENTS AND PRODUCTS FROM THE SHOP. THE CLASSES WERE PROVIDED ONLINE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND HOSTED BY TRISH AND HER HUSBAND, SVEN. TRISH DONATED A COLLECTION OF ITEMS TO THE MUSEUM, INCLUDING A FACE SHIELD. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THE INTERVIEW. TRISH PROVIDED THE DATE WHEN THE UMAMI SHOP OPENED: “…[IN] 2013, WE OPENED. 2014 WAS THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH…” PATRICIA DESCRIBED USING THE FACE SHIELD: “…THIS…ITEM [DONATED TO THE MUSEUM] IS…[A] SPECIAL MASK…THAT WE USED DURING…PACKING EVERYTHING AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS WERE NOT HAVING THAT CONTAMINATION. HOWEVER, AT THE BEGINNING…WE STARTED OFF WITH THESE MASKS AND THEN WE TRANSITIONED INTO…THOSE BLUE MASKS, WHAT WE’RE WEARING RIGHT NOW… THOSE CLOTH ONES…[WERE] NOT HYGIENIC SO WE CONTINUED [TO USE]…DISPOSABLE MASKS…” TRISH TALKED ABOUT HOW SHE FOUND THE FACE SHIELD WHILE ON A BUSINESS TRIP OVERSEAS: “…I CAME BACK FROM SOUTH KOREA LAST YEAR… WE WERE THERE AND I SAW THESE AMAZING, CLEAR MASKS THAT PEOPLE WERE WEARING. I…[THOUGHT] I NEED TO SOURCE THESE, AND THAT WAS SO LUCKY [BECAUSE] WE WERE ON A TRADE MISSION WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND I HAD PERFECT CONTACT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO DISTRIBUTE THESE SO…THEY ONLY GAVE US…[ABOUT] A HUNDRED; THAT WAS THE MAX… YOU CAN’T GET THESE ANYWHERE.” “…THEY GAVE US A FEW [FACE SHIELDS] TO BRING HOME WITH US AND THEN THEY SHIPPED IT OVER TO US. [THEY] PROBABLY IT ARRIVED IN…JANUARY [2020]…” PATRICIA RECEIVED THE MASKS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC OUTBREAK IN CANADA, WHICH WAS: “…SHEER COINCIDENCE. THERE WAS NO…PLANNING TO [HAVE FACE SHIELDS AT THE ONSET OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC].” “…[IN JANUARY 2020 WE RECEIVED] ABOUT TWO HUNDRED OF THEM… I ASKED FOR A HUNDRED, THEY GAVE TWO HUNDRED AND THEN NOW, A FEW MORE CAME TOO… I’M HAPPY TO HAVE…A GOOD SUPPLY OF THEM FOR US TO USE. IT’S…PEACE OF MIND…FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS COMING IN BUT ALSO TO PROTECT OUR WORKERS AND…GIVE THEM CONFIDENCE TO ACTUALLY BE IN A SPACE THAT WE PROTECT OUR WORKERS, TOO. IT’S NOT A ONE-WAY STREET… AND IT’S EVERYWHERE. IT’S COMING AT US IN EVERY DIRECTION. SO, IF WE COULD FLATTEN THE CURVE BY WEARING MASKS, THEN THAT HELPS.” TRISH DESCRIBED THE TOOLS USED BY THE BUSINESS TO KEEP UP WITH THE CHANGES DURING THE PANDEMIC: “…WE’RE A WORLD GROCERY BOUTIQUE STORE, SO WE HAVE SUPPLIERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD… WE SLOWLY SAW [CHANGES DUE TO THE PANDEMIC] ALREADY IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY [OF 2020]… WE KNEW THAT FROM…A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, WE NEEDED TO ADAPT QUICKLY… WE KNEW THAT TECHNOLOGY WAS OUR NUMBER ONE…GAME CHANGER... SO, WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OUR TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE WENT INTO GAME-IFYING OUR WHOLE IDEA OF GROCERY SHOPPING AND COOKING AT HOME.” “…IT WAS VERY CRITICAL [TO FOCUS ON THE ONLINE SIDE OF THE BUSINESS DURING THE PANDEMIC] BECAUSE WE DECIDED NOT TO LAY OUR STAFF OFF. WE CONTINUED TO KEEP THEM ON, AND WE FOUND THIS TO KEEP THEM BUSY OR ELSE THEY’LL JUST BE SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING… OUR STAFF ARE NOT LIKE THAT. THEY WERE [SAYING]…’WE NEED TO DO IT…’ …THAT REALLY GAVE US THE PUSH TO CONTINUE TO DO [THE COOKING CLASS]… WE WERE SUPPOSED TO ONLY DO ONE SEASON WHICH WAS SIX SHOWS [OVER] SIX WEEKS. BUT THEN WE WENT BACK-TO-BACK AND…[THE RESPONSE WAS] ‘…CONTINUE,’ SO WE DID ANOTHER SEASON… WE DID THIRTEEN SHOWS IN TOTAL. SO, TWO SEASONS.” COVID-19 GREATLY IMPACTED THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, AND TRISH TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE CHANGES THE PANDEMIC NECESSITATED: “WE’RE FEELING CONFIDENT. WE’RE FEELING RELIEVED AT THE SAME TIME, BECAUSE [COVID-19] IS NOT AT THE PEAK RIGHT NOW… WHEN WE FIRST STARTED OUT, IT WAS…A SUDDEN CHANGE, A SUDDEN PIVOT…[WE HAD] TO CALIBRATE WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO IN TERMS OF OUR BUSINESS, IN TERMS OF HOW OUR STAFF WERE TO WELCOME CUSTOMERS… BUT WE’RE A BIT MORE RELIEVED THAN [EARLIER IN THE PANDEMIC].” “…WE UTILIZE OUR ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM. SO, IT’S ALL LOGISTICS… SO WE USE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE TO ADVERTISE THAT MARKET…TO THE FANS OF UMAMI SHOP… THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK…THESE COOKING CLASSES…DURING THE PANDEMIC WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE ALREADY OUR CUSTOMERS. THAT JUST GREW MORE AND IT…AMPLIFIED BECAUSE THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE TOLD ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING SO THEY WOULD ORDER THE KITS FOR THEM… THAT JUST CONTINUED ON…[THROUGH] WORD OF MOUTH.” TRISH CONTINUED: “…WE DID TAKE A HIT. I THINK EVERY BUSINESS DID TOO, BECAUSE IT WAS A SHOCK FOR EVERYBODY… WE DIDN’T THINK THAT IT WOULD BE SUCH A BIG SHOCK [BECAUSE] WE THOUGHT, ‘OH, WELL, BUSINESS WILL SLOW DOWN,’ BUT WE NEVER REALIZED. IT WAS SUCH A HUGE SHOCK… WE SAW OTHER PEOPLE CLOSING THEIR DOORS AND WE WEREN’T SURE BECAUSE WE WERE A GROCER-AUNT. SO, [A] RESTAURANT/GROCERY STORE/CAFÉ/DELI… YOU WOULD SEE ALL THESE RESTAURANTS CLOSING THEIR DOORS AND WE DECIDED NOT TO. WE CONTINUED TO DO TAKE-OUT. WE UTILIZED OUR ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM TO REALLY PUSH OUT MORE, AND…COMMUNICATING…TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE WERE STILL OPEN, THAT YOU WERE STILL WELCOME TO COME IN BUT CERTAIN MEASURES LIKE WEAR A MASK, SANITIZE YOUR HANDS…DON’T BRING IN YOUR OWN GROCERY BAGS, WE WEREN’T ACCEPTING RETURNS… OUR CUSTOMERS ARE GREAT… THEY UNDERSTOOD…BECAUSE IT’S A NEW NORMAL… IT…WORKED OUT, AND WE’RE JUST HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO…REALLY CALIBRATE AND…WORK MORE ON OUR TECHNOLOGICAL SIDE, THAT STRUCTURE, UTILIZING THAT TO…GET MORE SALES.” TRISH DISCUSSED THE BREADTH OF UMAMI SHOP’S REACH: “…WE’VE BEEN…ALL ACROSS… TO VANCOUVER, UP TO YUKON, TO NOVA SCOTIA.” “…SVEN’S A LOGISTICS PERSON SO HE KNOWS HOW TO SHIP THINGS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD OR ANYWHERE IN CANADA AT LEAST.” “[PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES FIND UMAMI SHOP THROUGH] THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA… OR EVEN FAMILY AND FRIENDS… WE SHIP THEM…[TO] NOVA SCOTIA, P.E.I. …TORONTO, WINNIPEG, SASKATCHEWAN, CALGARY.” TRISH DISCUSSED HER UPBRINGING IN A SIMILAR BUSINESS: “…I GREW UP IN THIS BUSINESS BUT…MY PARENTS WERE NOT [URGING ME TO] ‘DO THIS’…[THEY SAID], ‘THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO IS DO WHAT WE’RE DOING [BECAUSE] IT’S A LOT OF WORK,’ AND I UNDERSTOOD THAT…SO WE WENT TO SCHOOL… I WAS SICK AND TIRED OF THE OTHER WORK WHICH MY PARENTS DID…THE…GROCERY BUSINESS. IT’S A HUSTLE JOB. IT’S THE ASIAN SUPERMARKET ON THE NORTH SIDE... I GREW UP WATCHING THAT AND SEEING THEM GO THROUGH WITH IT. SO, I WORKED IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. I WORKED AT BANKS, I WORKED IN A LOT OF…BIG FUND STUFF… I JUST GOT TIRED OF IT. IT WAS SO MUCH STRESS…MORE STRESS THAN YOU WOULD THINK WORKING IN A GROCERY STORE.” “SO I DECIDED I’M DONE WITH [THE CORPORATE WORLD] AND MOVED BACK HERE, AND SVEN AND I OPENED THIS PLACE, UMAMI SHOP.” TRISH EXPLAINED HER PASSION FOR HER WORK: “I’M NOT GOING TO WORK WHEN I COME HERE, IT’S FUN… I’M DOING WHAT I LOVE… I GET TO MAKE SAUCES, I GET TO COOK, I GET TO EAT GREAT FOOD, I GET TO TASTE DIFFERENT THINGS, I GET TO TRAVEL. I THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE GREAT PERKS EVEN THOUGH I TRAVELED A LOT [PREVIOUSLY] IT WAS SO STRESSFUL TRAVELING. WHEREAS HERE, I’M TRAVELING ON TRADE MISSIONS, I’M TRAVELING FOR COOKING CLASSES…BUT I STILL GET THAT ELEMENT OF ME-TIME AND VISITING MY FRIENDS WHEN I'M AT WORK. OR EVEN ON A WORK TRAVEL…PRIOR TO THAT…I WAS IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY EVERY…TWO OR THREE DAYS, [I WOULD] NEVER SEE MY FRIENDS, I NEVER GOT TO SEE SVEN…FOR WEEKS…” TRISH COMMUNICATED HER APPRECIATION FOR THE LETHBRIDGE COMMUNITY: “…I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN LETHBRIDGE. [I] LEFT FOR…A LONG TIME AND THEN DECIDED TO COME BACK BECAUSE…WE REALLY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING BUT IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE IF WE WERE IN A BIG CITY LIKE TORONTO… I LIVED THERE, I WAS WORKING IN TORONTO AND I DIDN’T REALLY SEE THE CONNECTION, THE COMMUNITY… I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS JUST ANOTHER PERSON, ANOTHER NAME, ANOTHER NUMBER…THAT WOULD JUST BE WALKING DOWN THE STREET; ANOTHER TAX-PAYER. THERE WAS NO COMMUNITY THERE. EVEN THOUGH IF I LIVED IN A NICE…CONDO, YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR… THAT WAS SO DIFFERENT FROM MOVING BACK HOME HERE WHERE WE KNOW OUR NEIGHBOURS AND NOW OUR NEIGHBOURS ARE OUR CUSTOMERS, TOO… PEOPLE COME IN AND…THEY’RE NOT SHOPPING BUT THEY COME AND SAY, ‘HI’… THEY WALK BY AND THEY WAVE… YOU DON’T GET THAT IN TORONTO… I’VE WORKED THERE, I KNOW. AND THAT’S HOW IT IS.” “…WE ENJOY LIVING IN LETHBRIDGE, WE ENJOY THE TREES IN OUR BACKYARD, WE ENJOY OUR HOUSE. IT’S AFFORDABLE, TOO… RAISING A FAMILY, I THINK THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT, THAT’S WHY MY PARENTS DECIDED TO STAY IN LETHBRIDGE AND NOT MOVE TO BIGGER CITIES.” FOR MORE INFORMATION; TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION; OR TO VIEW THE RELEVANT APRIL 30TH AND MAY 3RD, 2020 UMAMI SHOP FACEBOOK POSTS, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20200026004

Acquisition Date

2020-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail