PJ. The mask maker.

Five years ago, PJ launched her now thriving, women-owned and operated business based in Chicago. She created the Wrapperoo —  a t-shirt hair drying towel that doubles as a water, heat & spill resistant styling cape. She saw a need for such a product and took it upon herself to design, patent and bring the product from concept to market. 

Today, in the middle of a pandemic, PJ has brought her innovation and do-it-yourself attitude to her latest endeavor: making protective masks for members of the community and medical workers throughout the country. With an existing business infrastructure in place, including the fabric, supplies and sewing machines, PJ was able to swiftly shift to producing and distributing masks.

“Even though I am very good at coming up with solutions quickly, I don't think I realized how quickly I am able to change course, because it truly was an overnight decision to make and sell masks,” PJ said. “I don't think I realized that I can pretty much create an entire new product line for my business in a day.”

PJ felt strongly that essential workers should be protected, and she wanted to do what she could to help those in need. 

“There is no reason for nurses and doctors and people working in healthcare — those who literally are saving people's lives — to not be protected,” she said. “It made me mad.”

PJ began making masks in her River North home on her personal sewing machine. The first batch of masks she made she donated to medical staff at the University of Chicago. Soon, though, people in the community began asking PJ if they could purchase a mask from her. So she decided to add the product to her Wrapperoo website, but also made sure to stay true to the original mission of donating protective equipment to those in need. 

“I knew I could not stop donating masks,” she said. “That was the whole reason for this.” 

For every mask purchased through PJ’s site, one is donated to a medical professional. The masks have been so popular that PJ has now donated more than 1,000 of them to hospitals and nursing homes around the country — from Brooklyn, New York, to Ohio and Atlanta. She first gave masks to hospitals in Chicagoland, such as Holy Cross in Chicago and Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, before branching out across the nation. “If they ask, I send them,” PJ said. 

GROUP EFFORT 
Sales of her masks skyrocketed quickly, and PJ soon realized she could not sew hundreds on her own. She received 200 orders within 24 hours of making masks available for purchase on her website. To help sew masks and fulfill orders, PJ was able to turn to her Wrapperoo employees. Five female sewers, who also live in Chicago, make masks at their homes, which allows for a flexible and safe work environment. PJ is happy the demand for her product is high so she can continue to employee and pay the women. She does worry about how the ailing economy could impact her small business in the months ahead, however. Yet she is dedicated to supporting her staff as long as possible. 

“I will pay my staff before I pay myself,” PJ said. “That is most business owners I know.”

PJ is also dedicated to using materials sourced from family-owned businesses in the United States to make her products, and even buys from suppliers close to home in the Midwest when possible. The adjustable cord used in her masks, which allows for a more customizable fit to one’s face shape and size, actually comes from a supplier in the northern suburbs. 

The adjustable cord that ties around the back of the head is the result of direct feedback PJ received from medical professionals, who told her elastic loops around the ears are not comfortable to wear for hours at a time. She has used other tips from nurses and doctors to help improve her mask design and make them as protective as possible. 

“I just kept tweaking and adjusting the design,” she said. 

PJ’s masks now feature a breathable, lightweight fabric on the inside that does not easily become saturated. The outside fabric is water resistant, too, which can provide more protection from the Coronavirus that is transmitted by infected respiratory droplets. 

“Nurses love it because it provides an extra layer of protection because it is water resistant,” PJ said. 

All of PJ’s masks also include a pocket in between the fabric layers that allow you to put a filter or N95 mask inside. You also have the option of buying a mask with a nose wire for an even more customizable fit. 

A HELPING HAND
PJ is happy to be “doing her part” during this pandemic, to use the resources and skills she has to help fill a need in the community and around the country. 

“I can be at home safe all day. I am very fortunate,” she said. “I want to make sure people who are essential, they need to know we care and we appreciate them risking their health for us. We have to take care of each other. We need to have a mindset that we are connected in one way or another.”

PJ still gets frustrated when she sees someone in public not wearing a mask, especially essential workers. She never leaves her house without a few extra masks on her. If she passes an essential worker without a mask, she gives them one. The ladies at the post office where PJ goes to send her shipments off also have her masks. 

“At the end of the day, the sooner we all get on board and we all help each other and we all hunker down and do what we need to do, the faster we can get out of this and the fewer people will get sick,” she said. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT PJ...

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION TO KEEP GOING?
“I think this is just how I am wired. This keeps me busy. I love what I do. I love my business. I love my team. I love what I created being a woman-owned business, and so it is not something that I need to escape from. I love my life and when you love life itself, that is your inspiration.”

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR AT THIS MOMENT?
“I am most grateful for the people that I have in my life. This has been such an amazing chance to just realize how important the people you care about are. You don't see all the time. I video chat with my niece and nephew every day. Normally, I wouldn't have the space to do that. As soon as my niece hears my voice on the phone, she sprints across the room to talk to me. Every day to have that level of excitement from someone to just see your face on the phone screen, it is just the best feeling. Not that I don't know that I am loved and cared for, but this has just been a chance to really see it and feel it.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THINGS “GET BACK TO NORMAL”?
“I just want to sit at a restaurant with my friends and eat and drink! I enjoy cooking normally, but I am so tired of cooking and cleaning my kitchen! I want to order up a ton of yummy delicious food from some family owned restaurant and sit outside and swat the bugs and drink rosé and laugh and be silly with my friends.”