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Greensboro company pivots from mermaids to medical masks

Instead of shipping out coastal decor, now the company is exporting PPE.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The new motto at Greensboro based Fancy That Gift and Decor is "from mermaid to masks." 

Before the pandemic, the company shipped coastal decor made of seashells and driftwood all across the country. 

But when the coronavirus outbreak swept the U.S. suddenly major retail buyers started canceling orders. 

Carmen Mendelson, president of Fancy That Gift and Decor, hated to see the warehouse sitting still. That's when she began receiving alerts from her suppliers saying they were producing critical personal protective equipment. 

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So Mendelson jumped into action, securing nearly one million masks and shields for a Greensboro health network. 

Seeing how it could work, she then set up a new arm of the company, called Gone Viral Solutions. 

As a registered FDA company, she only ships out safe, tested PPE, and focuses on making sure local companies here in the Triad, can place orders and get what they need. 

“It’s been quite an experience, but our vendor relationships and our 20 years of importing experience prepared us well for this unexpected pivot into PPE products," said Mendelson. "It feels good to be helping the supply chain that has been so crippled during this pandemic.” 

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