MY STORY

I took my first soap making class as part of a fundraiser for my grand daughter's school. The woman who taught it lived just blocks away so I asked to join her the next time she made soap. She did not have a manual for her process so I had to do a lot of research on my own. I tried different ingredients and process's and made lots of soap for three years. Most of my soap got given away and when people started to ask about buying it I decided to try starting a part time business to pay for health insurance until I started Medicare.
 
My work career included 17 years in the grocery business, 15 years in sporting goods, and 14 years of self employment in remodeling and building and installing custom kitchen cabinets. This taught me about product design, pricing, distribution, finance, and inventory control.
 
My first store was Seward Coop in Minneapolis, one of several coops in the Twin Cities. I launched in December 2013 and sold 250 bars in two weeks. I was still working full time in 2014 so the soap business was a part time venture to begin with. I managed to sell 4,000 bars that year.
I retired at year's end and started adding stores until I had 14 stores selling my product. I now sell between 10,000 and 15,000 bars each year
I also started teaching soap making classes in 2014 and have taught over 300 people my methods.

I have two other hobbies. I turn wood bowls and make pens and seam rippers
I also have been creating stained glass pieces for over 20 years and have done restoration work on windows from a 1868 Dayton's Bluff home.

I make all natural biodegradable products by hand in small batches.
I support non profit groups through donations for their fundraising.
I donate soap to local food shelves. I believe in paying it forward.

I am a double lung transplant survivor. Please become an organ donor.