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Taking Cover




One thing I most assuredly did not have on my BINGO card for 2020 was this:

Shield Pals Opening PPE store at the Mall in Columbia , Baltimore City BizList

Ever striving to have its gaze fixed on the next trend and offering consumers the beguilingly up-to-date, our local Mall will be appealing to our desire to stay healthy and safe, while making a fashion statement at the same time. From the article:

“We knew we wanted a PPE retailer as part of our reopening plan, but I didn’t know we would find a company that would bring so much creativity to that role,” says Barbara Nicklas, Senior General Manager of The Mall in Columbia.

About that creativity - - here’s a sampling.



At the moment, the very thought of returning to the Mall fills me with dread. I’d need to have already stocked up with the very items that this store will be selling in advance of a trip. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Wait, they appear to have thought of that. (Italics mine)

Shield Pals will be located at The Mall in Columbia on Level 2 (near Apple and Banana Republic) where their full catalog of character face shields, sneeze guards, door openers and gowns will be available along with face masks, hand sanitizers, and other accessories from local suppliers. Online customers will be able to choose a Local Pick-up option from the mall as well.

So here’s a glimpse of Columbia Mall retail in a Covid world. I’m not going to say post-COVID because it’s clear Maryland is moving forward with reopening without meeting most of the indicators necessary for safety. My gut tells me this may very likely prolong the life of the illness in our state. But, heck, let’s get Howard County open, right? 

We must exercise our God-given right to go to the Mall and buy personal protection equipment. 

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