Deli that is....
Oh if only computers were scratch and sniff then we could all truly enjoy this blog post all the more!
Rebecca, of
Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen, also affectionately known as
SoapDeli, sat down with me to talk about her yummy soapiness.
Just how did
Rebecca and
SoapDeli get started? She explains, "When I first started out in 2001 the idea was to sell soaps that smelled like delicious favorites from the kitchen. I still do sell food scented soaps, but I've also evolved into non-food based scents as well to meet customer demand. All of my soaps are made using the cold process
soapmaking method in small batches to ensure quality control. I use
shea butter in all of my soaps and only vegetable based oils. Many of my soaps are vegan though I sell goat milk varieties as well for those who choose a different
lifestyle. I scent all of my soaps with the maximum recommended amount of scent to ensure a great smelling bar from start to finish. All of my soaps have a rich lather that makes them great for shaving. They also work well as facial soaps - my unscented goat milk soap is a favorite
for this - and as shampoo bars."
Her current favorite item is the "Lemon Verbena Salt bar. It's not only 100% natural but it smells divine and my skin loves it too."
Rebecca says, "It's formulated for those who tend to have dry skin, like myself as I'm prone to eczema - and has a wonderfully rich, lotion like lather."
Sounds great to me!!
Rebecca is not only soap
extraordinaire, but also admin, marketer, advertiser, interviewer, co-founder of
http://www.byhand.me. Which, Blockhead Radio is a huge fan of! If you haven't checked out
byhand.me, we highly
suggest you do and while you're there...check out the
Blockhead Radio Clubhouse created by yours truly :)
Rebecca gets to work closely with her husband, Adam, who co-founded
Byhand.me with her and while he works a full time job, as a computer programmer, "by night he programs for the artisan community
http://byhand.me that he created. We're together all the time since he telecommutes for his job and we share an office. He also accompanies me on Saturdays to the market as my "helper." He takes his mac book and gets work done and I get a chance to socialize, shop, take those necessary potty breaks, and buy us lunch." Adam also runs his own online business with his beautiful photography, which you can find at
http://infivision.artfire.com and
http://infivision.etsy.com.
Rebecca and Adam have much to be proud of, along with their busy lives, they also have a 12 year old son, who
Rebecca smartly puts to work helping around the house! (This mom agrees with that 110%!)
Rebecca's not new at
soapmaking! She explains, "I've been making soap since 2001. I have always suffered from sensitive skin. Mom would always wash my brother's and my clothes twice. Once to get them clean and then again without detergent to get the fragrance out. Luckily unscented detergents are now easy to come by. It was just before I started making soap that I started buying handmade soaps. They made a huge difference in my skin and I never turned back. I figured since I was buying handmade soaps all of the time I may as well start making my own. And the rest just progressed from there.
Selling online was more or less just a hobby for me until January 2008 when I decided to take it seriously. I was also entirely too busy with selling on the city market prior to that to make time for selling online. Things changed in January 2008, though, and I got really organized and prioritized things. Local sales were starting to take a slight downturn then and I didn't - as they say - want to have all of my eggs in one basket. So I started promoting online and by the end of the year I was seeing regular online sales. As it lucked out my online business picked up enough the last quarter of 2008 to make up for the sharp downtown the economy took. While my local sales for the last quarter of 2008 were down 50%, my online sales made up that 50% I was down. Online sales are also what pays the bills the first quarter of every year when I'm unable to sell locally due to the cold."
Besides the online community friends she's found,
Rebecca is able to connect with other local artisans at the city market. She says, "There are so many wonderful artists and food producers on my local market and we sometimes bounce ideas off one another as far as when to sell, what to sell, how to expand, etc. Mostly we just like to gossip though!" Nothing wrong with that!!
Rebecca knows her limits though, and knows when life gets too stressful it's time to take a break! (That's when the house cleaning son comes in mighty handy!) She also suffers from agoraphobia and seasonal depression, she shared, and says sometimes it's just hard to get to the local seller's market. I think anyone who can recognize her limitations, and STILL create such awesome work and an ENTIRE online community deserves some kudos!!
So where can you find
Rebecca? Glad you asked!
Shop with
SoapDeli on
Etsy and
Artfire!http://soapdelinews.blogspot.com--Soap Deli News is the official blog for Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen. Get updates on new products, sales and contests. You'll also find soap
recipes, bath and body recipes, and craft projects.
http://shopbyhand.blogspot.com--Shop
ByHand is a shopping blog dedicated to handmade products. Discover fun new products by indie artists, artist features, and artist interviews.
All About Handmade:
http://soapdeli.byhand.me/bloghttp://www.soapdelicatessen.comhttp://twitter.com/soapdelihttp://rebeccasfacebookhttp://ByHandsfacebookhttp://soapdeli.byhand.mehttp://www.flickr.com/soapdelihttp://www.plurk.com/soapdelihttp://www.plumdrop.com/members/soapdeliSo, be sure and check out
Rebecca and all her soapy goodness!
And don't forget to tune in Monday, April 13
th for YOUR chance to win one of Rebecca's awesome soaps!! Read all about it
HERE!Many thanks,
Rebecca for sharing!!
~~Amy
