Storefront Updates
March 2022
COVID cases have greatly decreased in Marquette and the Upper Peninsula. We are no longer using masks or plastic barriers. However, we encourage customers to let us know what we can do to make them feel the most safe and comfortable. If you have any concerns about visiting our store, feel free to contact us ahead of time, and we'll be happy to accommodate you.
February 14th 2022
Masks are no longer required, but recommended for all shoppers. Our team will continue to wear masks in the presence of shoppers.
January 4th 2022
Masks are required for all shoppers and employees. Shop online at www.bethmillner.com/collections/shop
August 31st 2021
When shopping in our store, masks are recommended for all of our customers, but still only required for those who have not been fully vaccinated. Please use the provided hand sanitizer before touching surfaces in the store. Our staff will be masked, and plastic dividers are in place at each jewelry counter.
August 6th 2021
Handmade Adult Masks are available for purchase online and at our store in Marquette, MI.
July 6th 2021
We are no longer listing masks online, please contact us if you are looking to purchase masks.
June 24th 2021
As of June 22nd, due to steadily decreasing COVID case numbers and increased vaccination, the state of Michigan is no longer requiring masks, social distancing, or capacity limits in businesses. At our store, masks are now optional for all customers. The front pick up window is still available if you just need to grab your online order or feel more comfortable shopping from outside. We're looking forward to a great summer here in Marquette, and we're excited for you to visit!
May 25th 2021
May 15th 2021
We are currently still requiring masks.
April 13th 2021
We are closing the store to foot traffic and are customer service at our front window, over the phone and via email. We strongly recommend online shopping over coming to the store due to the increase of cases in Michigan and the CDC recommendation to shut down.
March 8th 2021
We are now OPEN for walk-in traffic. We also still have the order pick up window for your convenience. We're open 10-5 Mon-Sat.
December 17, 2020
Free Shipping on jewelry and orders over $100. Discount applies automatically at checkout.
We highly encourage continuing to utilize our website for online orders or pre-shopping with local pick up to help limit foot traffic in our showroom. However, we will open our doors to appointments and walk in's as needed to help with your shopping needs.
If you would like to shop our showroom we encourage you to schedule an appointment.
Our staff is also available for phone orders, emails and curbside pick up of orders from 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday.
If you have any questions or would like to place an order call (906) 226-3540.
September 11, 2020
Our shop hours are 10-5pm Monday-Saturday. We continue to limit our foot traffic in our shop and strongly encourage online shopping or making an appointment at our storefront. Walk in's are welcome with availability. Masks continue to be required to enter the shop. We offer for your convenience easy local contactless-free pick up at our front window. We no longer offer deliveries but currently are offering free shipping on all jewelry and orders over $100. Thank you for your support of our small business, we appreciate it!
July 13, 2020
Although we have been requiring face masks in the shop during the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, the latest executive order has extended further restrictions. Our shop has already been practicing all of the new requirements, and so there will be no changes in our policies. However, we'd like to reiterate them here for anyone who is thinking about visiting the shop!
Everyone must wear a mask in the store or at the window if they are over five years of age, and it is strongly recommended that children over two wear a mask as well. If you are unable to medically tolerate a mask, we would be happy to assist you at our pickup window or over the phone. Because our shop is small, we are allowing one group of up to four people inside at a time. Appointments can be made by calling the shop at (906) 226-3540.
We are glad that this order is keeping our essential workers and downtown businesses safe. Let's work together as a community to stop the spread!
July 3rd, 2020
Our shop is open 12-5pm Monday-Saturday for curbside pick up, window shopping and showroom appointments. Masks are required at the window or in showroom.
June 18th, 2020
Our shop is open for window shopping and curbside pick up from 12-5pm Monday-Saturday. We are working on transitioning to opening our storefront for in-person sales, stay tuned for our open date in the next few weeks.
We're also busy behind the scenes working on something completely NEW for our customers coming at the end of July. Keep an eye out for our BIG announcement on our social media channels and newsletter!
June 5th, 2020
Most of our mask makers have now returned to their regular jobs. We are so grateful for their help as we have sold approximately 5,000 masks on a sliding scale. We are now transitioning to fundraiser masks to help out our community.
We have several new Fundraiser Masks that donate to local organizations.
We are looking at re-opening the store mid-June and hope to see you soon, we also encourage you to shop online and take advantage of our curbside pickup. We will continue with curbside pickups even when we have the store back opened up.
May 18th, 2020
We have been so very very busy with Mask sales and jewelry sales! We have ended up hiring 10 new part-time people and have bought masks from 3 other individuals. We have sold nearly 3000 masks over the past month and we are glad to be providing these right now for folks in need. We don't know how long the mask sales will continue since there are now so many options available, but we are glad that we have been given the opportunity to provide them over the past month.
Businesses are starting to re-open this Friday and we are happy to have many masks available for workers, employers and even people with beards! We have kids sizes and quite a few options of fabric. We also have some really exciting expansion of products coming soon, keep an ear out!
We now have mask kits and mask supplies available to those of you making masks or wanting to send a craft project to a loved one.
May 8th, 2020
Wow! We are blown away by the support of our customers who have kept us very busy with mask orders and jewelry orders during our spring sale! Thank you to everyone. Because of this support, we are able to employ 8 part-time mask makers plus bring back many of our staff part-time to fulfill orders and help our customers. In addition to our adult masks, we are now offering kids masks, elastic for those making their own masks, and ear savers made from recycled copper. Check them out here.
April 25th, 2020
We have sold more than 1000 masks! Many of these went out for free which we were so fortunate to do. We are now asking that you pay a base amount for our masks so we can continue the project. If you are completely unable to pay, please contact us, we may have some free masks we can still donate to those in need.
April 18th, 2020
- We are now accepting applications for mask makers
- We also are asking for donations to sustain this project
Wow!
- I have shipped nearly 400 masks and nearly 2000 nosepieces with the help of Mike, my significant other in the past week!
- Since the beginning of distribution on March 24th we have shipped 38,842 nosepieces!
These 400 masks were purchased from 7 talented local seamstresses artists and craftspeople. We have 2 more makers hired to make masks and we will then have 9 mask makers and are looking for more.
It's been a whirlwind of packing and shipping orders from home. I have worked my tail off and your support is allowing me to bring one employee back to work on Monday and Jane will begin shipping from our store, jewelry will still only ship on Wednesdays for the time being.
April 11th, 2020
We now have smaller quantities of Nosepieces in 10 packs and 5 packs on a sliding scale for payment. We are also now offering Nosepieces to MI, WI, MN, OH and Masks to MI & WI. See our current offering of Masks and Mask Supplies.
April 9th, 2020
We now have Masks and Nosepieces available on a sliding scale for payment to MI & WI. See our current offering of Masks and Mask Supplies.
April 8th, 2020
We now have nosepieces available to Michigan and Wisconsin on a sliding scale for payment. See our current offering of Mask Supplies.
Together with our partners, we have collectively donated more than 100,000 nosepieces in Marquette County. These nosepieces were made possible by generous donations from countless sponsors, donors, and volunteers in the community. We thank you!
April 8th, 2020
We are still receiving many requests about nosepieces. We have now shipped or delivered 20,000 nose pieces in the Upper Peninsula! We are working on a model to offer these for free to those who cannot pay and for those who can pay to 'pay what they can' to help sustain our endeavors and get more of these nose pieces out for free. Stay tuned for an update this week!
April 3rd, 2020
We realize that some of you may have filled out our needs assessment form and have not gotten your nose pieces. Please contact the Masks for Marquette facebook group as they have nose pieces and are now organizing the materials for Marquette and are your point of contact. They have requested our needs assessment survey and have your information if you filled that out.
We have finished our pattern for the mask and the metal nose piece. If you're looking for tricks on how to make the metal nose piece at home, check out our blog post with several videos and the FREE pattern download.
~Beth
April 2nd, 2020
We have now concluded our distribution of the metal nose pieces. We are happy to announce that we successfully shipped 18,500 nose pieces all over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! With the help of many, many people! Our local hospital is covered and masks are being distributed to others.
Please consider a donation to the Superior Health Foundation in order to help with relief efforts, let them know we sent you in the comments!
~Beth
March 31, 2020
Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, we must temporarily suspend jewelry production & distribution. We will continue to take orders, however, we won't be fulfilling or shipping any orders until the executive order in Michigan has been lifted. Until then, we'll stay in touch through our email newsletter and social media. Printable Gift Cards are also a great option at this time. You can also sign up for our email and get a discount on your order!
We were able to make over 10,000 metal nosepieces for the Upper Peninsula community, and are still offering them on our website while supplies last. However, we will be regrettably shutting down this portion of our operations as well. Many people in the community are continuing to make these vital medical supplies, and much of our staff will continue to work on mask making efforts on a volunteer basis. Thank you so much for your support, this was not an easy decision for us to make, but we have seen so many community members and larger supply companies pick up this mantle. We encourage everyone to continue to send donations to the Superior Health Foundation. They are doing amazing work, and are raising needed funds for Covid-19 relief in the Upper Peninsula. Make sure to select 'Masks' in the section labeled "I would like my gift directed to."
Thank you so much for your support. We are truly in this together as a community, and we have accomplished so much thanks to all of you. We want you to know that our efforts are not over, merely moved into the volunteer sector.
We will still be monitoring our email and voicemail for any inquires you may have. In the meantime, we are wishing you and your loved ones safety and wellness.
With love, BMJ Team
March 30, 2020
It is hard to believe that it has been just a week since we started making metal nose pieces for medical masks. We have expanded our operation so quickly, and have seen such a positive response from our community.
Today, we are happy to announce, that we will now be able to offer metal nosepieces across the entire Upper Peninsula! We would like to thank all of our donors, sponsors, and partners who have helped us fast track these critical supplies.
For now, we will be able to offer the nosepieces for free, and we're hard at work trying to keep it that way. This is not a business venture, but a service to our community. That said, we do need to cover our materials and shipping costs in an ethical way. If you would like to make a charitable, tax-deductible donation, you can check out the directions from our March 28 update below, and fill out this form on the Superior Health Foundation website. Make sure to check 'Masks' in the section labeled "I would like my gift delivered to" and mention 'Beth Millner Jewelry' in the "comments" section.
Finally, we'd like to give a quick shoutout to our staff. Many of them are taking on outside volunteer work to help this effort in addition to the work they're clocking for the business. Both Nina and Alexa have been sewing cloth masks at home. Julie, a previous employee, has come back remotely to help us with grant applications.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this effort so far. Our next step is pressing forward to mask the entire Upper Peninsula while exploring the possibility of expanding beyond into Lower Michigan and perhaps nationwide. We will give you updates as things develop.
As always, thank you for all of your support. We're in this together.
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
March 28, 2020
We are excited to announce that we are working to supply nosepieces to the Marquette Community, and hopefully expanding to the entire Upper Peninsula soon. We want to be able to continue to offer these vital medical supplies for free. Although we are applying for grants, we will also likely need some charitable donations to be able to continue to offer them at no cost.
If you are able, you can make a donation on the Superior Health Foundation's website. Any amount helps, a single dollar can make multiple nosepieces. We've included detailed instructions on how to make these donations below:
First, go to the Superior Health Foundation's Covid-19 Pandemic Fund here:
Click the 'Give' button, and it will take you to this form:
Fill out the form, with special attention to two areas:
- Make sure to check 'Masks' in the section that says "I would like my gift delivered to"
- In the "Comments" section write that you would like the money to be donated for 'Beth Millner Jewelry Nosepieces'. Without this comment, the money will not be donated to us.
We have so many exciting new things coming up soon, and we can't wait to share them all with you. As of this morning, we have sent out almost 6,000 aluminum nose pieces to be put into masks for the Marquette area hospitals!
This experience has been life-changing for our entire staff and has ignited a desire to serve our community in ways that we never expected. We are more grateful than ever to be a part of the Upper Peninsula and so moved at all of the efforts to protect our medical staff and essential service workers. We truly are in this together.
Thank you for your continued support!
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
March 27, 2020
Just a quick update today: as of this morning we have sent out over 4,000 aluminum nose pieces to be put into masks in the Marquette area! We are in awe at the way our community has mobilized to protect our hospitals and essential service workers.
And another exciting announcement, we have temporarily found a drop shipper! Terry Dehring and Quick Trophy will be handling sanitization of the aluminum nose pieces and shipping them out to members of the community starting Monday. Beth and her partner, Mike, developed the shipping and sanitization process and had it approved by UP Health System.
We should have big news coming tomorrow, so keep checking back for updates!
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
March 26, 2020
Hello everyone, we are currently hard at work trying to expand our operations, and we've created a survey to get an idea of who is in need of our metal nosepieces OR other mask supplies Masks for Marquette are distributing. If you need nosepieces please fill it out, it would really help us to be able to ramp up production and get nosepieces to the people who need them most!
We have so many exciting developments that we should be able to share soon, so keep checking back for updates.
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
March 25, 2020
Today we've been working on replenishing our stock of nosepieces. We also have plans to expand our operations and have been hard at work contacting businesses in our local community to make this a reality.
A local manufacturer will be taking over the grinding and cutting of the metal nose pieces. We are also reaching out to local businesses to handle sanitizing and shipping so that we can make sure the process is as safe and fast as possible.
We're working on scaling up the operation as quickly as possible. At this time, our goal is to completely mask the Marquette community. If you are in the Marquette community and are hoping to order, please check back on this blog page and our Mask Supplies page on our website. We believe that these will go out of stock quickly, so please check regularly.
If you are outside of the Marquette community, this blog will have continuous updates on our operations and our ability to serve those outside of our community. We know that this is a time-sensitive situation, and we are working around the clock to make these available to as many people as possible.
Thank you for your continued support!
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
March 24, 2020
Our first batch of metal nose pieces are finished but are spoken for in our local Marquette community. We will post an update with links to the metal nose pieces as soon as we have replenished our stock.
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
March 23, 2020
Currently, we are responding to Covid-19 by asking ourselves what we can do for the community. There is a shortage of critical medical supplies in the Upper Peninsula, much like the shortage in the rest of the United States. The CDC has approved the use of handmade, cloth masks when disposable masks cannot be obtained. All over the Upper Peninsula, people are hard at work sewing these masks. Beth's studio assistant, Nina, is one of the many volunteers giving her time to this effort.
Meanwhile, Beth has decided to put her metalworking expertise to work. These cloth masks require a metal bar in order to seal them around the nose and cheeks. Beth and her partner, Mike, have spent the past few days cutting and finishing strips of aluminum for use in these masks. On the first day alone, they were able to cut 1,000 strips! These will greatly increase the effectiveness of the masks, and offer our medical staff and essential workers more protection!
We will have more information about how to get these aluminum strips locally soon. Check on our social media pages or follow this blog page for more updates. For now, we'll only be aiming to provide them to the Marquette area, but will hopefully be expanding regionally and even further if we can keep up with demand. Beth was recently featured on the local news, and you can find out more about our efforts on their website.
We will still be selling jewelry online, and shipping orders. You can check out our turnaround times here. We are also offering free shipping on all orders for the foreseeable future.
We will also be offering downloadable patterns for both the mask and strips as soon as we create them! Keep checking back for more updates. As always, we are so grateful for our community, and we hope that we can do our part to support our hospitals and keep our community safe.
~ Jane, Shop Assistant
Storefront Closing Until Further Notice
March 16, 2020
With a heavy heart, we have decided to temporarily close the storefront and move the staff to work remotely and operating solely online. We believe that social distancing is important to slow the spread of COVID-19 by flattening the curve. The safest place for us is to be at home with our families.
We are very fortunate to have the ability to offer our items online and already have a website, but this will surely affect our business.
Things have been changing very rapidly. My own opinion less than a week ago was nearly the opposite of now, so there is a process of understanding that we all must help each other through and try to educate and sympathize and remember to be kind.
We will be lengthening our ring turnaround times because these are made after you order, please be patient on your ring orders and rest assured we are trying to do our very best to work on our turnaround times and policies, but we need time to process.
The remainder of our inventory is made and ready for you to ship. We are a small company and have worked incredibly hard to create my dream and vision and bring it into reality. This decision isn’t being made lightly.
This business started with $1,000 dollars of student loan money while I was in college 13 years ago and over the years we have grown to a small business of 7 people. I have poured my heart, soul, and passion for the community and environment into this business.
I also want to thank my amazing employees. They are the backbone of this business operation. They are my work family, we care about each other like a family and we have a beautiful, wonderful culture of acceptance, caring and compassion, which I am very proud of.
We thank you for supporting a handmade ethical business for the past 13 years and hope to reopen the storefront as soon as safely possible.
We will remain open online but you will probably see delays in pending orders and new shipping turnaround times. We need time to process this new normal and I’m giving my team a little time at home to adjust before we think about the business transition. You may see some scheduled posts on this page, we were so proud of how far ahead we had posts planned, hopefully, they will be enjoyable for you to see, keep in mind we wrote them a few weeks back in a different frame of mind.
Thank you so much for the support and understanding in uncertain times.
~Beth