Local Business Malmark, Inc Needs Your Support

The new coronavirus has changed life for all of us. Local businesses have taken a huge economic hit, but communities are finding creative ways to support the establishments they know and love.

In an effort to help local businesses in our communities stay connected and succeed, Patch will be shining a light on some of them through a series of Q&A articles during this time.

Handbell company Malmark, Inc is one of the businesses in town facing struggles during the coronavirus. You can lend your support by reading more about the company, below, and by contacting them here.

Tell us about your business and its history in your town.

Malmark, Inc was founded in 1973 by Jacob Malta, designer of all the widely used American-made English handbells. We have been family-owned and operated for over 45 years, topped only by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in England who made our Liberty Bell and has been operated by the Hughes family for over 100 years.

As the largest handbell company in the world for many years, our handbells, handchimes and other instruments are desired and used by the best directors, universally. Malmark instruments are the most precisely tuned of any of Jake's designs and are most suited for orchestras and use where non-dissonant results are desired.

Learning to read and play music has been found to accelerate an understanding in mathematics in children and promote fellowship in churches, community groups and homeschooling. It is understandable then that these instruments are most often purchased by schools and churches. These instruments are also found to be effective in music therapy and sound therapy.

We also have a gift line, LoraBell, which utilizes the bronze bell castings not suitable for a musical set of bells. These are available for purchase through our website along with our line of musical instruments and accessories.

How has the new coronavirus impacted your business and its employees?

Understanding the absolute need for protecting our employees, we have basically furloughed all 34 of them, giving them an additional two weeks paid time off which ended this past Friday. It is now at their discretion whether to ride this out without pay, collect their accrued PTO and/or apply for unemployment. We have applied for available aid.

Most of our business depends on donations to now-closed churches and money available for the arts in our schools (which are likely closed until September), so we are preparing for a long recovery period. The repair and refurbishing season starts after Easter and since we are approaching this time, closure adds more of a lag to recovery.

How can local customers support you now and in the future?

We hope those who know of us or are just learning about us will return or become future customers, or desire to learn more about this unique manufacturing business.

Please visit us in better times.Tours are available and when we reopen for business, we will be taking calls to schedule tours, again. Please call 215-766-7200 for more information and visit our website, thank you.

Do you have any words of encouragement for your community?

Repeated often is "this too, shall pass" and it will. It will pass more quickly by supporting your medical professionals, first and foremost. You can do this by abiding by Governor Wolff's mandates, wearing homemade masks and donating to your local EMS and hospitals.

Are there any other outstanding businesses in town you think deserve some community support?

In addition to medical services, we are thankful for those businesses and their masked employees who are open to safely provide us with necessities.

Do you own a local business in need of a feature on Patch? Fill out the questions in this form for consideration. Or, check out Patch's full list of resources for small businesses during the coronavirus crisis.

Thank you, and stay safe!