Humans of all genders have been in love with adornment since time immemorial. As an expression of self and identity, our values and ideals, our cultures, symbols of our travels and relationships, superstitions, and any number of things, jewelry is a huge way with which we state our place in the world, to ourselves and to each other. A good piece of jewelry is something to be loved for a lifetime, and to be taken care of like the dear thing that it is. We want to promote the longevity of your favorite pieces for as long as possible. Whoever you are, beauty-beholder, we hope this helps you!

At Kindred Post, the majority of our jewelry is sterling silver, brass or copper. (By the way, we keep an index on all our jewelry materials specifically for those with sensitive ears-- If you have a metal allergy, we’d be more than happy to help find a pair that’s appropriate for you.)

Regardless of the material of the jewelry, there are some base rules:

• Don’t bathe or swim in them.
• Be careful when applying anything to your hair or skin. Make sure to take them off before your skincare routine, and to put them on last after makeup, perfume or hair care. You can even take a cloth to them at the end of the day to wipe away any product buildup the piece might have accumulated throughout the day. 
• Avoid other daily tasks like cooking, gardening or cleaning in your jewelry. We’ve all been guilty of not taking our rings off before getting our hands dirty, so we could use a reminder from time to time. If you do get something wet, don’t fear-- just try to dry it off as soon as possible.

Because jewelry becomes tarnished through chemical reactions, whether from exposure to air, skin chemistry, water, or other chemicals, it’s important to do our best to keep them safe. Storing your pieces in a jewelry box or similar container isn’t just convenient or visually satisfying, it actually helps protect from tarnishing. Even long term exposure to sunlight can darken some metals.

When a piece has become tarnished, there are a few ways to clean it. If it’s appropriate for the jewelry materials (it’s all metal, with no cloth component) you can soak it in a mixture of water and gentle, unscented dish soap for a few minutes to remove grime buildup. Dry with a cloth immediately. The most effective way we’ve found to remove tarnish and patina has been personally tested by our team-- the Sunshine Cloth! This small but mighty cloth is capable of removing even some of the toughest oxidation. It makes everything look super shiny and new, just like a ray of sunshine.

We should also mention that it's natural for metals to tarnish, and some jewelry styles develop more character and depth as it ages this way. So if you choose not to remove the tarnish, that's jewelry care too! 

We hope that these tips are useful to our jewelry wearers everywhere. As always, we appreciate you and sharing beauty with you! If you have any questions about materials or care, we’re ready to help-- just reach out to us!

WHEW

Raise your hand if you feel like the world is changing faster than you are! 

🙋🏻‍♀️

So weird. 

Btw our mask policy has changed.

In the last few weeks we went from proudly requiring masks in order to visually show a sense of safety to feeling like the vestige of an old stubborn era. We found that unmasked individuals entering the store went from being a small minority to the vast majority (oh hey!), that they were all vaccinated (great!), and that their very first impression of Kindred Post was that they're not welcome (oof).

I like the phrase "Come as you are." It means you are enough, you are prepared, we accept you, come in - and it is foundational to the way we do business. Friends, we don't want to greet you in the same breath that we ask you to change. Doing this every few minutes was creating a tension we normally wouldn't find at Kindred Post. Finally, we realized ….maybe it's us, maybe we had to change. 

So. For the time being (high vaccination rates, low case numbers in our community), masks are only required if you are unvaccinated. 

We continue to operate at about 30% capacity, only allowing 8 individuals (and some families) in the store at once. Additionally, our fully vaccinated staff will be wearing "I'M FULLY VAXXED" pins so that you will still have a visual indicator of safety. We will soon have more of these pins (thank you CBJ!) and we're going to place them at the door - if you are also vaccinated, we encourage you to take one and use it in our store and everywhere.

Please know that we made this decision with the unvaccinated still in mind. If you are at risk and nervous about being at Kindred Post or anywhere out and about right now, we understand. Which is why we continue to offer two no-contact options for your peace of mind. 

1) You can shop online and choose free curbside pickup (we bring it right out to your car!) and/or 

2) you can open up a free neighborhood account service for your mailings, which can also be handled completely at the door. 

My friend Liz Medicine Crow was in the shop the other day and, per usual, I'm still thinking about something she said. We were talking about the pandemic and our way of life changing and changing again, and she described the way she wanted to lead her own organization. She said, "we were slammed into this, but we're gonna ease our way out."

Thanks for your patience. For easing out with us, allowing us to ride the wave of cultural shift and make changes to our policy that make the best sense at the time. We're not interested in "going back" so much as being thoughtful about how we move through. We will continue to monitor vaccination rates, case numbers, and our general feeling of safety and well-being. Even this policy is not for forever.

We look forward to the day when the tides change completely, and we see this change, this moment - however awkward - as part of that overall shift.

Unrelated but related,

it feels good to smile at strangers again.

Join our team! Kindred Post is a post office, gift shop, and gathering space in downtown Juneau, Alaska. We foster connection between art and community in order to cultivate a sense of belonging in our neighborhood and beyond. We’re a creative, quirky workplace rooted in art, community, and social justice. And we care very much about the people who work with us! Our team is fun, friendly, and hard-working - with each person making their unique mark on this big, beautiful world. We can't wait to meet you.

OPEN POSITION:

Media Assistant Manager 

The Media Assistant Manager is a full-time, permanent position and has a leadership role in our digital operations, sales, and marketing. The ideal candidate will be adept in a variety of social media platforms, is comfortable photographing people and products, writing creatively, and will have an eye for good design. They must be highly organized, able to manage multiple priorities, and someone who enjoys the digital landscape. The scope of work can range between basic retail transactions to creating content for social media to developing innovative ideas for community engagement via media. If you had this job, you would have the opportunity to see the inner workings of our small business and be a key player in our growth. Plus, we care about what you are uniquely passionate about and want to find ways for you to explore and/or be mentored in that area, too. The Media Assistant Manager has the opportunity to grow into the Media Manager position. Let's build together!

Pay starts at $16-19/hour, depending on experience.

Full position description here.

TO APPLY: 

Please send a COVER LETTER, a RESUME, and ONE HAIKU to hello@kindredpost.com.

We will begin interviews after Wednesday, July 28th; applications received by then will receive priority consideration. The position will remain open until we find the right fit.

Please note: If you are interested in this job but unsure if you're qualified, we encourage you to apply anyway! We have been known to create ladder positions to help folks learn the skills and gain the experience necessary to move up within our company. Also, free yourself from imposter syndrome! Talk soon.

Ever get in an elevator and you're about to go up but then someone rushes over and so you hold the door and you wait for them? And then you're like "what floor" and they're like "3" and you're like *pushes button 3* and you don't know this person and you didn’t need to stop at floor 3 but it's not that big a deal to you but it's a big deal to them?

You know what’s similar? Wearing masks even though you’re vaccinated.

It's a social grace. It's a sign of respect. It is a gesture.

We are thrilled that so many folks in our community have been vaccinated. We are thrilled because we know that you are more safe and your family/pod is more safe and our community is more safe as a result of your immunization.

But yeah, in our store, you still need to wear a mask.

Why?
Unfortunately, some unvaccinated adults chose not to wear masks even when scientific evidence showed that masks reduce the spread of disease and even though masks were mandated by law. By and large, these individuals still do not wear masks.

Therefore, a regular non-psychic person has no way of knowing whether you are vaccinated and safe, or unvaccinated and risky.

In our community, our youth are just beginning to get vaccinated and some are not yet old enough to receive it. In addition, others are unable to be vaccinated for health reasons that defy personal choice. Also, some people just don't want to get vaccinated and they have their reasons, and we might not fully understand them but we respect them.

Each and every one of these people are important to us, so we make decisions that consider their safety and their feelings of safety.

And so, at this time, in order for at-risk individuals to look around and feel safe in our store, our staff wears masks and we require our customers to wear masks, too.

Like holding the door, like offering someone a tissue, like finding a trash can instead of tossing a wrapper on the street - these individual efforts are a courtesy to others.

It's a small price to pay for the joy of being in community with one another.

Be polite and be joyful.
Wear a mask.

Thank you