L'histoire complète
I’ve always been surrounded by handmade in small gestures. It started with my mom. She used to make our clothes when we were younger. I was young, but I remember that I used to love going in her sewing room. It was part of our downstairs bathroom/washing room. She had a large closet with a large wall mounted with cubbies, where she stored her material and sewing supplies. The dresses she made me were some of my favorite pieces of clothing. She always did it for the love of sewing and having a hobby. My mom always had the sense of doing it better and doing it for less. We were lucky enough to grow up with the best homemade cakes (no bias here) with buttercream icing, in the designs of our favorite characters. It was nothing glamorous, no fondant, no 3 tier cakes. Just a Cookie Monster cake piped by hand. I still remember everyone being jealous of those cakes. They taste, to this day, so good. Flashing back to my earliest memories of Halloween, this too, was a huge homemade event. My mom would never be caught dressing us up in Zellers or Walmart costumes. It was entirely handmade, and, in some way, they were always beyond expectations. As we got older and no longer wanted a huge bobble head alien costume for Halloween and my mom had less time on her hands to dress us in handmade clothes, she started making her own curtains, refurbishing furniture, and always adding that homemade/handmade touch to the house. It was often cost efficient but honestly, she was great at it. So, it's no surprise that as a teenager/ young adult, I followed in some of her footsteps. I started with desserts, always making homemade cakes and desserts for my friends and when I met Mat, we developed a love for entertaining and cooking homemade meals from scratch for all our friends, whom now hate cooking for us!! But I was looking for something that can be my own and not related to pleasing someone on their birthday! This is where I got hooked on tik tok videos and reels about soap cutting. There was something so calming about it all. In 2020, in a time of truly having time for finding ourselves, I developed a hobby of making soap with a few household items such as oils, butters and lye (which can be found at your local hardware store!). The recipes were basic, but it was truly like baking a cake. The importance of the order in which you mix the ingredients, the quality of the ingredients, it was all so fascinating and exciting to make. Soon, I started researching recipes for hours on end and what additives bring colour, scent, and texture. Which oils can be used for softer skin, sensitive skin and what are considered natural exfoliants. Before I knew it, this little hobby of mine slowly blossomed into a business idea. As time flew by, there was always that one thing I could add to the line to make it better. One idea became two, then became three and eventually over ten. And this is where I am today. Almost 2 years in and still finding ways to improve my products, make more, find efficient ways to supply a demand that will never fade… getting clean 😉. To those who ask me “what is your future goal for Soap Bar Co.?”, I always take a second to think before I fully pour open and flood them with my ideas. Soap Bar Co. has the potential of being as big or as little as I want it to be. For now, it’s a part time passion that makes me excited for the end of my workday, rainy days, or those afternoons where I have spare time. For the future, I see myself maybe one day running a full-time company and supplying so many with the goodies that I make. Although I can’t promise a timeline on this, one thing I do promise is to always make each product with dedication and patience. That each product will be the fruit of a happy hobby that became more. I promise to listen to your feedback and to constantly improve the products I make without compromising on quality. This is what speaks true to me and my company vision.
