A 90-second segment on ABC’s Good Morning America has breathed new life into a Cobb County-based home decor business on the brink of becoming another economic casualty of coronavirus.
Glory Haus, a faith-based wholesale company, was featured Monday on GMA's Deals and Steals, a segment that offers viewers discounted items from a variety of vendors.
Molly Holm, owner of the business in Marietta, said her company’s appearance on the morning news show has led to a surge in orders. Since Monday, Glory Haus is working to fulfill 10,000 new orders.
“It’s an exciting challenge,” said Holm. “We are working 18-hour days to get orders out on time, and we are very happy to do that.”
Marnie Tanner, one of the creative directors on the team, said she was “shocked” to see the number of orders that came into Glory Haus.
“When they had a chance to individually support a business, they did,” she said of the new customers.
When the pandemic took hold around the world, Glory Haus’ retail customers began canceling orders they made as many as six months ago, Holm said. Those same companies, including big-box stores, also notified her they had to delay payments to Glory Haus by 60 or even 90 days.
“I can’t wait 90 days for a big box retailer to pay me,” she said, adding she relies on that revenue to pay her staff of 22 employees. “That could literally shut down a business.”
Scrambling to see what could be done to avoid a catastrophe, Holm said a friend sent her a text message last Thursday and encouraged her to reach out to Good Morning America.
Glory Haus had been featured on the show a few years ago, and Holm still had a contact with the show. GMA producers displayed Glory Haus goods and noted the company needed orders to preserve its employee’s jobs in the face of the pandemic.
“Knowing that this would be one of our only hopes for immediate sales, we set to work all weekend to put everything in motion to make this happen,” Holm said.
To keep up with demand, Holm has had to hire more people with help in the Marietta warehouse. One of those individuals is Steve Eddy, who has been furloughed from his job until April 13, is helping with everything from printing shipping labels to loading trucks with products. Eddy has known Holm for years because his sister works at Glory Haus.
“For me, it was a financial blessing and it’s also a personal blessing to be able to work,” he said.
Glory Haus was launched in 2008 by Holm and three church friends. It offers products handmade by artists around America. It also owns a fair-trade factory in India where more than 100 women hand-make tea towels and pillows. Glory Haus also partners with MUST Ministries charity to allow women transitioning from homelessness to create handmade jewelry at its warehouse.
Holm said while Glory Haus has experienced a spike in orders, things are still tenuous due to the uncertainty around the pandemic. However, she the company survived the Great Recession and had “unprecedented success” because their products “bring happiness and make people smile.”
“In a time like this, people want to feel good,” she said.
Tanner, whose husband also works at Glory Haus, added the push to support local businesses amid the coronavirus crisis is part of the public’s desire to help keep the economy afloat as much as possible.
“We recognize that the small business owners are our next door neighbors and people our kids go to school with,” she said. “You’re just a little more emotionally connected with those people.”
For more information, visit gloryhaus.com.
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