An update from our stores
We have decided for the health and safety of our team and our customers to temporarily close our stores on Fillmore and Bleecker through the end of the month. We will continue to pay our team for all their scheduled hours during this time. We plan to continue shipping online orders for the foreseeable future, but our shipping schedule will be reduced to weekly, instead of daily, meaning that your orders will take a little longer to reach you!
We're feeling especially mindful of those around us who aren't able to social distance, work from home or stock a pantry, so we just want to remind everyone to look out for those in your community, especially the most vulnerable. Whether that's donating to your local food bank, leaving a thoughtful note for your neighbor, or calling someone who's been on your mind, please, let's remember to stay connected!
Let's do something together: Zuri CHALLENGE and Office Hours!
Many of us are feeling isolated and anxious, so we thought, what can we do to stay connected and also be active?
And sooooo!!
We're going to be issuing a DAILY CHALLENGE and we hope that you'll join us! The only rule for the challenge is that it has to involve things that you already have around you and it has to bring us together.
Daily from 1pm to 2pm EST, we'll have Office Hours, where members of our team will be on Instagram Live and we'll announce the challenge, and also be available to you to talk! Plus, if there's someone from our team that you've wanted to meet, now's your chance!
Our first challenge kicks off TOMORROW, so join Ashleigh and me on Instagram Live at 1pm EST and let's hang out!! :)
PS here's a hint for our first challenge...
WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO // ZOMBA PRISON PROJECT
The Zomba Prison Project is a compilation of songs that are composed and recorded by prisoners held at the Zomba Central maximum-security Prison in Malawi. Mostly sung in the Chichewa language, these songs will absolutely speak to you. Proceeds from these records go toward the legal representation of several of the musicians, and since the albums have come out, three of the female prisoners featured have had their cases reviewed and been released. This is a mix we made of a few favorite tracks from both released albums. Feel free to pass it on!
WHAT WE'RE READING // Ordinary Light by Tracy K. Smith
We're huge fans of Tracy K. Smith, and it's not just because she wears Zuris or because she was the US Poet Laureate (though those are pretty major reasons!)! She's a writer who truly speaks to our time, the way that she develops her own understanding of self and identity is so deeply resonant in this stunning memoir, and we can't recommend it enough!
PS: we're huge fans of the public library (and our lending library, where we have this book!), but we also want to remind everyone that if you can, please support your local independent bookstores! In times like these especially, small businesses are really vulnerable, and your support makes a difference for them and your community!
WHAT WE'RE STREAMING // Call Your Girlfriend by Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow
Call your girlfriend! Many of us can relate to these conversations between best friends Aminatou and Ann, and while many of us are at home or feeling disconnected, or have already talked to all our girlfriends and still want to keep talking, listening to this podcast makes you feel like you're right there with them, hanging out and talking about what's new, interesting and important in our world today.
WHAT WE'RE COOKING // Bryant Terry's Warm Butter Bean Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers
Bay Area chef Bryant Terry just published a fabulous cookbook called Vegetable Kingdom, and we thought that this would be a great recipe to share, since it's super delicious, and stars dry beans, which many of us have at home! If you don't have the fresh veggies in the recipe in your kitchen, don't worry! You can easily substitute zucchini for the peppers (or even smoke-y eggplant! or canned peppers), and if you don't have arugula, feel free to use any fresh herbs you may have, or if you have a jar of pesto, olive tapenade or sun-dried tomatoes, throw those on top instead! We're big proponents of taking a recipe and making it work for you based on what you have on hand! Eat this dish on its own or as a side or toss it with pasta! Enjoy!
