Credit: Loom
Child care has always been a fraught topic of conversation, especially within the context of big business. Not everyone has access to basic information, satisfactory care and a network of doctors who can guide them through their first years of child rearing. But two women in Los Angeles have taken matters into their own hands to change that.In 2017, an entrepreneur named Quinn Lundberg teamed up with Eric Chidi Cohen, a doula to the stars, to create Loom — a carefully curated, beautifully decorated and well-connected center in the Mid-city neighborhood of Los Angeles.Lundberg and Cohen wanted to create a hybrid digital/brick-and-mortar business that would "disrupt," the child care industry — a place where parents could come to relax, participate in classes and take advantage of a wealth of experts on everything from lactation to baby massages. The project struck a nerve with some critics who either lightly teased Loom's effortlessly tasteful environs or launched into full-on attacks on its neoliberal leanings.
VICE News went to Los Angeles to check out Loom and speak to the founders about where Loom fits into the greater economy of child care.