This last month we started selling soaps and lotion bars from Moon Dance soaps. They are a local company that you may have seen at the Durham farmer's market or other farmer's markets in the area. I have known Rachel for years and her soaps and lotions are just fabulous. I love the locally sourced ingredients and the fact that she runs a great business (I have a good friend who works for her and loves it!)
The lotion bars are very handy. I call mine a manicure in a tube. You know, you are about to meet a friend (that fancy dressed one that always looks good) and you look down at your hands and find that they were replaced by the hands of a lumberjack. Especially in winter, I am continuously embarrassed by the state of my cuticles. Well, whip out a bar of Rachel's lovely concoction and you'll soon have your own hands back, but better. All those snaggy cuticles and dry spots just disappear. This kind of thing almost makes up for realizing that you are wearing the same exact (kinda dumpy) outfit you were wearing the last time you had lunch with your friend who, amazingly, is wearing an outfit that looks like the cover of Anthropologie or at the very least, Sundance.
We were selling soaps from France but it has really bothered me to think of my soap traveling by air from France to the West coast of the U.S. (where the distribution center is located) and then to Raleigh. I think, gee, how many gallons of jet fuel were burned to get this soap to me? We won't be selling that soap from France any more after our current stock runs out. I am happily luxuriating in my new moisturizing Coconut Cream Goats Milk soap and my Lavender Citrus lotion bar.
Why do we sell soap anyway? I mean, the stores are bead stores, or craft supply stores at the very least. So why soap? Well, I use soap and lotions. I like soaps and lotions and we need to have something in the bathrooms for you to wash your hands with that is NOT Sponge Bob squeezy synthetic soap (now with extra artificial colors and new icky chemical fragrance!) I think it is nice with all the visual and tactile stimulation we provide to have a bit of scent, too.
Plus there is that cuticle thing. We arty types have rough hands. We can't help it.
Sounds like a wonderful addition to your store. Buy local! I am going to try to be more mindful of doing that in this new year!
ReplyDeletei bought some solely on Cynthia's recommendation and the lotion bar is all she said it would be :-)
ReplyDeleteTry the "healing blend" -- (a) works fabu and (b) smells like heaven!
ReplyDeleteI bought some from MoonDance at one of the craft shows this past Christmas season. Nice items! And very nice for gifts. I like to buy from local handmade vendors who produce things I would never create myself - soy candles, soaps, fiber art, cards, prints, photography...
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