nami

Almost just as soon as Bearaby collaborated with Whalebone on opening a pop-up shop in NYC’s West Village, they are shutting it down again. The shop, where you can explore the brand signature hand-knit blankets and sensory pillows first-hand, is helping shoppers take a breather during one of the most stressful days of the year. 

From today until the end of Cyber Monday, Bearaby is working to #WeightOutBlackFriday, giving consumers a chance to pause amid a chaotic season by shutting the physical location and creating a relaxing web page where browsers can “collect rest”. The evidence is clear. Bearaby-funded research conducted in partnership with Duke University found that Black Friday is one of the most stressful days of the year, with heightened anxiety and an increase of calls to crisis and mental health helplines.

At its Bleecker Street location, Bearaby invites visitors and passersby for a moment of rest in the form of a cozy bench, covered in the sustainable cotton used for the brand’s patented weighted blankets. A sensory “restometer” will total up the amount of rest the bench collects, serving as a reminder to recharge during this busy season.

To further shine a light on the importance of collective mental well-being, Bearaby is making donation to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, for every minute spent having a moment of rest.