There are a few things I love in life (ok, lots of things). I love soap making, I love teaching, I love helping my community, and I love Nurture Soap.
We have grown rapidly since we started, and it's been quite the race to keep up with the expansion of the company. To do so, I had to put some things I love on the back burner, and wait for the time to be right to tie all of them together.
People often ask us if we have a retail store where they come in and sniff the fragrances or see the colors. Until now, we have been a warehouse and manufacturing facility only and haven't been able to offer this convenience to you, the customer.
We've also been asked if we offer soap making classes or know anyone that does. Until now, that answer has had to be no. But not anymore!!!! We now have a building where we can offer our supplies, teach classes, and even have soap making demonstrations!
The Building
Generally, I love older buildings. I love the character of them and love fixing them up. I've never considered a newer building for retail until I saw this one. It's perfect! Upstairs is a room with a sink where we can have small gatherings of people and hold soap making classes. Downstairs is the showroom and the main soap making area. The soap making area will be partitioned by a plexiglass wall, so people coming into the store can see soap being made.
But the best part? The kitchen! OMG A COMMERCIAL DISHWASHER!!!!!
I have been making all of my soaps in my kitchen at home. I am not a clean soap maker. It is safe to say that I am a hot mess of a soaper. The soap ends up looking fine. My kitchen doesn't!
Then there's the issue of dishes. I think most of us can agree that dishes are the worst part of making soap. Not only does this new building have a commercial dishwasher, but it has a grease trap. Oh, be still my heart!
What We'll Offer
All the soaps made for the live demonstrations will be made using our colors and fragrance oils - all marked with a date. That way our customers can come in and see how the colors and fragrances hold up in soap after time. How cool is that????
Everything we offer on our site will be available at our new retail location. Our goal is to be open by late spring of next year!
The Community
I don't speak of it often, but I have an autistic kiddo. I call him kiddo, but he's really not. He's 20, but he's still my baby! He's the labeler extraordinaire at Nurture Soap. He loves it at Nurture Soap and he's a great asset to the team. However, not all people with challenges have the same opportunities. As a mom, I have a huge place in my heart for those with special needs.
We have recently formed a relationship with Pathfinder Services, the organization in our area that helps those with extra challenges find fulfilling work. The truly amazing part? They are making candles and soon soap! We are so proud to be able to help them create beautiful things by offering and donating our products to them, and this building will allow us to help even more. We will be proudly offering their creations in our store! Here is their website: http://independentscents.com/shop/ Take a look and see what beautiful things they're creating!
Each candle has the name of the maker. Adam's Frankincense and Myrrh was made by Adam. Dakotah's Clean Sheets was made by Dakotah, etc. There is such pride in each candle created. It's beautiful to see!
The ability to teach classes allows Nurture Soap to serve the local community, and hopefully ignite their passion for soap making. I feel making soap is one of the most fulfilling, creative, and inspiring crafts in the world. I am deeply excited to be able to share the craft with others.
The Future Ahead
This is yet another facet of Nurture Soap and what we can do to inspire, teach, and bring passion to the art of making soap. We hope to see so many of you there when we are open and can't wait to meet you!
Stay tuned for progress! The retail building is located in Huntington, Indiana.
