Diary of a Mad Soapmaker

Private Label, Wholesale, Contract Manufacturing and Special Events

2012-02-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc. has begun to branch out and is currently offering 4 new services!

We have already begun projects in the Private Label area developing soap lines for businesses interested in branching out and offering soap products to compliment their existing product lines. We have also begun selling wholesale and increasing our offerings and efforts in that area. We are opening to companies who wish to have use do their production and manufacturing for them as well as those companies and individuals who wish to have products manufactured for special functions or events!

Simply contact us at: getinfo@stonecottagesoapworks.com and tell us of your needs and we can get back to you and inform you what Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc can do for you!

Onward and upward!
Regards,
David Bruce

Update time!

2012-02-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

We have been quite busy here at Stone Cottage Soapworks! We started out the year by going into production on some of our best selling soaps! The first soap that I made this year was one of our most popular scents, "Orchid"! It is second in line to only one soap and that is our most popular scent, "Lavender Bud" which is a straight Lavender Essential Oil product with finely ground Lavender buds in it. "Fougere" was next for both Men and Women followed by a secret scent for one of our private label customers out of Chicago!

"Lavender & Lemongrass" was quite a popular scent so I made a double batch of that so we don't run out of it! I have one bar left in the store! I am pleased to say that "Castile" soap will still be available and I made a special larger batch of that because Castile soap which is made from Olive Oil is notorious for shrinking as it ages! Who knew!? I did, of course! "Allspice" has returned for the Men's section and I found a new source of finely ground Allspice especially for this batch! "Mikan Mandarin and Chinese Guava" our best selling "citrus" scent is back in full force and is also available in our Bath Salts section! "Soapy Soap" was made this past week as it is such a popular scent with everybody we couldn't be without it!

We have added a brand new scent to the mix with "Fresh and Green" which is made with French Green clay for color as well as helping with the lather!
"English Rain Flowers", a lovely rainy scent as well as one from the Islands called "Coconut Holiday" were made on Tuesday. "Almond Flower" from the Men's section was one the last I made on Thursday and they are already on the drying rack curing after being cut and stacked just yesterday! The Stone Cottage workroom is full of scent with all of these batches curing and more soapmaking is planned in the next few day! Stay tuned!

As we approach 2011... a look back and a look ahead!

2010-12-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Where we came from and where we are going…

When I first started making soap, it wasn’t with the idea of starting a business and selling soap but rather I saw it as a personal challenge. I had purchased handcrafted soap in a shop in Camden Market in London and became interested in finding out how it was made and giving it a try myself! The more I began to research and the more I learned, the more intrigued I became with the art of soapmaking and the more I became enamored with the idea of making the perfect soap! As it was the late 1990’s, it wasn’t as easy to acquire information as it is now. The “Internet” was new and working with a 25K modem made it difficult as it took so long for a single page to load and “hi-speed” Internet wasn’t a concept yet! There were a few “message boards” where those with similar interests could go to share information but often the “info” was more opinion than fact based on science and arguments and intrigue were a daily occurrence. I learned that keeping a low profile and lurking worked best in this situation and the message boards provided a place to learn about new trends and to pick up new ideas but it was better for me to go out and do my own research and ask questions of those whose track record and industry credentials made them the best choice for advice and information. The late Maurice Hevey and Kevin Young are two such people with such credentials and experience who volunteered their time on these boards and help those of us who are new to the cosmetic world and try to help us do our best to make a satisfying and safe product.

Once I began making soap, it became clear that this hobby was growing and would inevitably have to go from “hobby” status to a “profession” status. This is when Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc. was born. It has been seven years since I began the business and over four years since I first opened the store and about 2 years since the website came online. This has been a period of great learning for me and as a result, changes in my business. To top it off, the economy took a nosedive and left us all with the dilemma of what to do to make this through this tough financial period and not only make it but to have our business grow and prosper. I am happy to say that business has picked up and I think the worst is behind us. That brings us to a point where I need to take another look at the business and if necessary redefine its goals. In the beginning, I had hoped to make a business of just selling soap but with so many bath and body type of stores around that the customers’ expectations upon entering the store were that this would be a bath and body store. For quite a while I had hoped that they would come to appreciate a soap business but I found that they were looking for more. Also, I found myself being drawn to other types of bath products and wanting to learn how these are made as well so this becomes a happy coincidence for my customers, for me and for Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc.

This change requires a great deal of research and development to take place before each product can be sold to the public. Hours are spent at the computer gathering information then consulting with my cosmetic “mentor” before test formulations can be written and samples can be made. Raw materials must be sourced and sometimes samples must be acquired from chemical companies or from resellers on the Internet.
I am lucky to have found some chemical companies that are willing to work with smaller businesses like mine and cost of raw materials must be taken into consideration before continuing. These raw materials must fit into my budget before I consider working with them. Once these considerations are met then it is time to work out everything involved with making test samples. Proper manufacturing procedures are followed and proper preservation requirements are observed in the preparation of these samples as well as the possible packaging options for the finished product before the samples are ready to be made and tested. Once the samples are completed then the testing can begin. Depending upon the product, the testing can go on for months to make sure that the product holds up to my high standards here at Stone Cottage Soapworks. Final packaging has to be researched and selections made based on customer appeal as well as the appropriateness for the product based on the ingredients used. Labeling has to be developed for visual appeal as well as passing all government regulations and requirements before the product can be put out for sale.

Making selections for new products can be difficult as each addition must complement those that are already offered and be consistent with the brand and branding goals of the business. Part of this is actually defining what your business goals are. I have found it beneficial to go out into the market and try products from other companies as well as observing whole product lines and the presentation of product at the retail level. I take a look at packaging, ingredients and presentation. I have even purchased samples of products to see how they perform and analyze their packaging and presentation. I then apply what I have observed and learned to what I am doing so that I will be able to offer the customer the best possible product and present it to them in a way that will be pleasing to them and encourage them to buy and try my products. I know from my background in the fashion industry that these sorts of research and development practices are a major part of product development process and quite a valuable tool.

2011 will bring some changes to Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc. Decisions will be made as to which soap products best represent us and we will concentrate on those. Time and effort will be spent on further defining the product line and our brand. I will be introducing new products in the next few weeks including the long-awaited shaving cream, a Moisturizing Bath Fizzie, a reformulated Bath Bomb as well as a Bubbling Bath Tablet. Further time and effort will be spent it perfecting the Shampoo bar and the Conditioner bar and more development and testing will be performed on the Shaving Soap. 2011 will be a year of taking stock both figuratively and literally and all of the changes we institute will make Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc. a better and even more successful business!
Check us out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=138789716147688 and on here as it is my plan to keep you all informed about everything that is happening this coming year of 2011!

Have a Happy and Healthy and most importantly a safe Holiday Season!

All the best to you!
David Bruce

Christmas IS a time for giving!

2010-12-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

My neighbor in the space next to my store, Dion Hitchings, did a benefit for the Soup Kitchen in Trenton, N.J. He showed the art work of a few of the homeless who use the services there and donated a large percentage of the proceeds from the show to the Soup Kitchen. While I was visiting his space, Outside Gallery, he pointed out the bags of food donations that he was also collecting for them and mentioned that he was also collecting health and beauty aids as well. The light went on!

As you may know if you have been following my website, I have had an inventory reduction sale going on for quite a while. I found that in this economy that carrying a smaller inventory would work better for me so that I could also develop and carry other products and turn Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc. into more of a soap and bath store. Business in the last four months has increased quite a bit and the rate at which the sale merchandise has been selling has helped me to reach my goal and also offered customers better value for their dollar in these tough times. I realized that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to help out those who may have only the clothes on their backs and it would also help me to achieve my goal! Perfect!

I ran back to the store and began to pack bags with soap. I managed to pick out 50 bars of soap and I brought them over to the celebration that was going on next door. I told Dion I would have another look around and a while later I found myself starting to fill another bag and then another... When I was done I had pulled a total of 100 bars of soap! I brought the two other bags over to Dion. He came back later and thanked me from the bottom of his heart for donating those 100 bars of soap. I was so glad to do it and I felt so good after. Now I am closer to my goal in the store and I could get to that point by helping someone else out! It was a wonderful feeling!

Take some time over this holiday and see if there isn't something that you can give or share with someone who is less fortunate that you are. You will be amazed at how good you'll feel and how grateful you will be for all of the good things that have come your way!

Have a wonderful holiday!

David Bruce

Time to catch up!

2010-12-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Folks,

The last four months have been busy here at Stone Cottage Soapworks and business has picked up considerably! People are out and about and shopping more but trying to spend their money wisely! I have continued to reduce prices to help me to attain a healthy inventory level and to provide people with good products at a good price! So this has been a win-win situation for me and for my customers!

I'm working on new products but taking the necessary time to do them well and not rushing to get a product out for sake of getting out but making sure that it is formulated correctly and that it will please the customer. So often, the first question I am asked by a customer is "Is it all natural?". I think it is time for a little missive on "All Natural" and what it means to me and to the customer!

In terms of government regulations there is no legal definition as to what is considered "All Natural" so, like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder! There are many organizations out there who try to define what "All Natural" means and many decide to follow what they suggest but again since there are no laws to define it, the point becomes moot. I have spent lots of time mulling over the "All Natural" question and can share with you my conclusions. If someone were to define "All Natural" as a product that is made from ingredients that come to us pretty much in the form they are found in natural then some of my products would be considered "All Natural". For instance, all of my soaps are made with oils and butters that are found in nature and some of them are scented with essential oils that are also pretty much as they are found in nature so those soaps could be considered by some as "All Natural". But if you want to delve a little deeper into it, soap itself is a reaction of fatty acids and triglycerides found in vegetable oils) with lye (which comes from leaching water through wood ash). Would these things "naturally" come in contact with one another? It's POSSIBLE and did happen which is how it was discovered how soap is made (way back in ancient Greece) but is it PROBABLE that this would occur? The answer to that is "No, not unless I make it happen! So, that would turn my making of the soap into an "unnatural act" (keep it clean, folks! LOL!) and make my soap totally "Unnatural" if you want to look at it that way!

Another issue at hand is that of the term "chemical" and the connotation that it has. Are chemicals bad? To some yes, but often they forget that everything is made up of chemicals including us, humans! Are some chemicals bad? Very definitely YES! But are ALL chemicals bad? NO, they are not! That makes it difficult for the consumer as it does for the formulator and manufacturer! The one thing we can all do is RESEARCH and try our best to find good information on each substance. Information that is backed up by clinical studies. At that point we then can decide for ourselves whether we want to make that chemical a part of our lives!

Another issue is the esthetics of a product. Over the past hundred years we have become very sophisticated and have grown to expect the kind of refinement that modern chemistry can provide. A product has to “feel right”, “look right” and “preform right” for us to accept it and to purchase it and use it and repurchase it. Those of us who have tried to formulate in the direction of “All Natural” have found that a formula that uses as few ingredients as possible and as natural ingredients as can be found will not always produce the kind of sophisticated product we have become accustomed to! The customer wants “All Natural” but they also want it to be very sophisticated!

As an example, I make liquid soap. The nature of liquid soap is that it is LIQUID! Water is liquid and liquid soap is very much liquid in the same way water is liquid. In other words, it is not a “gel” which is what we have been accustomed to! For that reason, some do not buy liquid soap. I can and have made an improvement on that with the use of “natural” thickener cellulose but there are other problems that can come up in this type of product. As an example, Customers tend to like Citrus scents in liquid soap. Although soap is a “natural” emulsifier, Citrus Essential oils do not emulsify well in liquid soap and as a result they tend to float to the top and become frothy. So some of my liquid soaps have that froth on top that can be shaken up temporarily and used but will eventually settle out. What does this mean, you ask? To me it means that I must reformulate my product to include an emulsifier to stop this from happening. This also means that I must include a small amount of a “chemical” to make this work. To some, this would make this product no longer “All Natural” yet to others, they accept it, as they want a product with a more refined esthetic! Luckily for me and for my customers, there are “chemicals” out there that have proven themselves over decade of study and use to be safe and effective and can even improve the “skin feel” and function of the product as well as emulsify the fragrance into the formula which is its’ intended purpose! Interestingly, there are many products out there that make these “all natural” claims and I have one (which will remain nameless) sitting right in front of me that describes itself as “all natural” and has such an emulsifier in it!

What does this mean to me and to product that I might purchase from Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc.? It means that I will do my best to make my products so that they contain mostly raw materials as they are found in nature but when the esthetic of the product requires that I make some adjustments in my formula, I will endeavor to make the best choice of what is available out there for me and most importantly for my customers!

As mentioned before, our shaving cream is almost ready and will be available shortly. Shaving Soap is in the works and I will be testing new formulas for that in the New Year. A solid shampoo bar and conditioner bar are also being tested and perfected. I am reformulating my liquid soap, as mentioned before and working on a Solid Bubble Bath , Bath Fizzie, a Moisturizing Bath Fizzie as well as Bath Oil and a few other bath related items! I am changing the focus of Stone Cottage Soapworks to further encompass “the Bath” and include many items to make your bathing experience a relaxing and pleasant one! In the meantime, stop by http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com and check out the Season Scent Sale (perfect for stocking stuffers!) and the remaining 50% OFF soap for sale at the end of our yearlong Inventory Reduction Sale!

I’ll return in the New Year, if not sooner, but until them have a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!

David Bruce

Shaving Cream and other things...

2010-08-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Folks,

Time for some changes at Stone Cottage Soapworks! A few weeks ago my partner and I spent a long afternoon rearranging the store. We nearly killed each other in the process but we mananged to make the space more workable and functional and it looks much better too! Over the past couple of weeks I have taken a look at the space and edited quite a bit making the store look a bit neater and amazingly it looks bigger too! When I have time I'll take some pics and post them!

The other thing that I have been working toward is turning the soap shop into more of a bath and body type of business. I have been working on four products to start and those are a solid shampoo bar, a solid conditioner bar as well as a shaving soap and the long awaited Traditional Shaving Cream! I've been making samples of variations of the shampoo and conditioner bars and have been trying them out myself to see which version I like the best! In the past couple of days, I made my first "production" run of the Traditional Shaving Cream and it came out pretty well! Here are a few pictures of the process!

The first is of the 20 quart stainless steel pot I use, the second if the ingredients melting, the third of the saponified soap, fourth of the "resting" soap and the last is of the creamy, pearlescent and handsomely scented shaving cream! A few more things left to do and then it will be time to make it available to the public! Hooray!

As always, stop by Stone Cottage Soapworks at http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com
or stop by the store if you're in town!

Bye (Buy!) for now!
David Bruce

More Publicity!

2010-06-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed several weeks ago by Kenna Caprio of the Hunterdon County Democrat in an article about soap makers in the local area! Pretty cool, eh?

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2010/05/rub-a-dub-dub_the_handmade_soa.html

I hope you enjoy it!
David Bruce

New Year ... New Products!

2010-01-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Folks,

The New Year has arrived and I am beginning production on the products in my new shaving line! Just before the New Year arrived I did a phone interview with Al Warr a columnist for the Hunterdon County Democrat. The article was printed this past week and I am really pleased with the nice job Mr. Warr did! Three local businesses were covered and here is the section that includes Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc.:

"HUNTERDON COUNTY DEMOCRAT, THURSDAY. JANUARY 7, 2010

Expand with new goods, services

by Al Warr – Business News & Views

David Powers established his Stone Cottage Soapworks in 2003. He made significant expansion in 2006 by opening his shop in Frenchtown. Now, he has plans to expand again, in spite of a bad economy.

“I’m introducing a shaving soap and shaving cream this month,” he said. “There’s a whole market out there for ‘wet shaving’ and I’m making the old products like the British make them. Shaving soap needs special ingredients to give a right lather and a close, clean shave.”

Powers says he went into a shop in London some 15 years ago and bought some handmade soap. It had a certain appeal, and it led him to begin studying soap and soap making. After some research, he founded his operation. Now he carries an inventory of some 225 different types of soaps.

All the soaps here are made with pure vegetable oils and exotic butters, together with natural additives, scents and colorings. He hand-makes them in small batches to maintain quality. Then each bar is polished and individually boxed.

Powers sells through his shop on Front Street – call for hours, 908-996-3600. Internet sales represent a growing share of his business. Visit stonecottagesoapworks.com."

It is always nice to get some free publicity and I am hoping that this will help to make more people aware of what I am doing. Thanks to Al Warr again for a superb job! I see by the photo on his bi-line that he has a shaved head! I'll have to work on him to try my new shaving cream and become a "wet shaver"!

Thanks for stopping by and remember to check out the 50% off sale I am still having on quite a few scents at www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

Cheers!
David Bruce

Production Time!

2009-11-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

Time always seems to pass by so quickly and I am just amazed to find that it has been 2 months since my last post! I have been busy formulating my Shaving Soap and making and testing the various batches. I also worked on my Shaving Cream formula and made tests on that as well. I think that it is really important to give each product a good long trial to make sure that not only does it live up to expectations but perform well over a period of time! I am pleased to say that both soaps have not only met my expectations but surpassed them! I am very pleased with the Shaving Soap and have tested it over the last couple of months along with my Shaving Cream and both are ready to put into production!

I placed an order with a supplier I had used before for the raw materials I needed and they were great to work with and not only provided the quantities but my rep from the company hand delivered them himself! Great opportunity to meet a very nice guy who represented his company well but also he was able to offer suggestions which were very helpful to me! It is nice when you encounter a company who is willing to work with smaller businesses like mine to help them expand and grow!

The next step for me was to go over samples I had ordered for packaging and select just the right one for my shaving cream. I chose one with a “natural” colored translucent thick walled jar and and inner “dust liner” to help protect the product in transport and topped it off with a black screw cap. I also decided that I wanted to market the shaving soap in a travel container with a screw top and ordered a sample with the same “natural” colored translucent container to match the shaving cream in a smaller size perfect for the soap and with the same black screw cap. All of my packaging uses “natural” bottles, jars and tubs with a black cap which give a cohesive look to my line which I think is really important.

I have also begun work on labeling for these two products. I managed to find a software program to do round labels and have been playing around with it in my spare time to create a label that I can print myself and will look nice on the container. Presentation is of key importance and I am confidant that this will work for the moment. One thing I have learned in this venture is that things like packaging can evolve and change according to your needs and that you need to remain open to new ideas and new ways of doing things that will, in the end, help you present and sell your product.

Another aspect of these two new products that needs to be covered before I actually begin production is fragrance! Fortunately, I have quite a few scents in my “Masculine” soap section that I feel confident will work well for these two products. The other benefit is that I can now offer more of a “range” of Men’s products that have the fragrance as the continuity element from product to product! I will need to make up batches of each fragrance blend ahead of beginning actual production, so I have my work cut out for me!

I have noticed that besides my friend Seth, I have some new “Followers” here on the blog! Welcome to Lori, Chasmodai, Lea, and milly2u whom I think I know from one of the message boards! Thanks for your support and wish me luck on this new avenue in soap making!

As always, stop by

http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!
David Bruce

and now..... Shaving Soaps!

2009-09-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Shaving Soap

I’ve started a new project that I am really excited about! I am in the development stages of making a Shaving Soap! I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time and had done of ton of research in soap-making books and online a while back. I looked up all my research and books with a renewed energy and got down to work! I thought it might be a good idea to go back to one of the shaving message boards I had joined last year and create a post looking for information about what characteristics “wet shavers” are looking for in a shaving soap as well as what scents would please them. I got many responses offering quite a few helpful suggestions which I have taken into consideration. Badger & Blade is the name of this particular board and is one of the premiere message board for shaving with thousands of members and over a million posts! It can be found at: http://badgerandblade.com/ ... Check it out! There are actually a few other boards which I found later and I joined another one called Shave My Face and that can be found at http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/index.php . One kind gentleman sent me a post from The Shave Den and that url is http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/ .

I finally decided upon a formula I wanted to try and worked out a variation of it and tried the two a few days ago. To my surprise, everything went smoothly and the first and second tests went very well, placing me pretty close to where I wanted to be! The next day I worked out another two formulas both of which went in slightly different directions from the original. One created a slightly “fluffier” lather which just didn’t give as much cushion as I wanted and the other was a bit better. Sometimes it is helpful to try variations to see which is the best route to follow!

I decided that I wanted to improve the emollience a bit and I also wanted to try a slightly different set of ingredients as well as increasing the glycerin content (glycerin provides lubrication and acts as a humectant bring water to the skin). I created another formula variation with this in mind and made a couple of batches one with glycerin included and the other with glycerin added at the end. I made these batches pretty late on Thursday evening, unmolded and cut them the next evening and did a trial run with one yesterday morning. I got an incredible shave and used it again this morning having the same results! It worked wonderfully and I am really excited about it! I want to see if I can make some minor modifications and will try a couple of variations in the next couple of days. I am hoping to have this project completed in the next week or two and then I can direct my energies toward my next project... Shaving Cream!

As always, stop by http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com and spend some ~~money~~ time! ;) Thanks for stopping by and check back often and I’ll fill you in on my progress!

Cheers!
David Bruce

2009-08-27T12:37:00.001-07:00

Here I am , back again in Mid-August! I have begun to look around the store with a critical eye and have begun to make more changes. I had several “old time” black and white advertisements that I had framed and were hanging above the long wall. Since they were ads for other “brands” of soap, I decided that they should go. I had in my mind using some old botanical drawings that are very beautifully drawn and colored that I found online. Since they are in the public domain I have no problem using them. I located a site that has them online and downloaded some that pertain to the fragrance and raw materials that I use in soapmaking. I photoedited them giving them all a crisp white background and vivid colors and printed them on photo paper. I found glass picture frames in which they can “float” in the glass with a thin shiny black glass trimming the edges. I am really pleased at how they look and how they bring more emphasis to the raw materials I use in making my artisan soaps. I have gotten good responses from the customers that have seen them!

Tell me what you think!

I also found a nice natural colored rectangular basket and lined it with a quilted handtowel in a natural shade and have placed all of the many new wooden soapdishes inside it. They are neatly organized and all have price stickers on them. So far, customers have been attracted to the basket and I have sold many more soapdishes than I was selling before! It seems that I made the right decision on those as well!

As I mentioned in a previous post I was planning on making up signs that told about the characteristics that my soaps have to better inform the customers what my soaps are all about. I went to work on it one afternoon, printed it up and placed it in a large 11X17 frame and it is in the store ready to great the customers!

I have more ideas and improvements to make so I’d better get busy and work on them! Thanks for listening and remember to stop by:

www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

Cheers!
David Bruce

2009-08-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Progress Report!

So far, the reorganization of the store has been a success! Business has picked up a bit but the weather this Summer isn’t helping whatsoever with high humidity and lots of cloudy and rainy days. The store space now flows a lot better with a logical circle around the new aisle shelving bringing the customers in and around the perimeter of the store enabling them to get a sampling of each category rather than having them confused as to where to go first!

The most significant change is the new scent categories! “Lavender” being the most popular selling soap has proven to be an attraction to many people as a separate category with a dozen different Lavender based scents in it. The “Sandalwood” category (with 9 different scents) and Musk (also with 9 different scents) categories have proven themselves as strong enough a scent base to require a special category for each of these as well. “Masculine”, “Floral”, “Minty” and “Spicy” are holding their own with “Exotic” moving forward with more interest than before! With so many scents with a tropical base lent itself to having a special category for “Tropical” scents. Summer is a good time for these types of scents but Winter has proven to be a good time for many customers wish they were in the Tropics at that time! “Kitchen” isn’t doing as well as I had hoped but neither did many of the scents that are in “Kitchen” when they were in the “Herbal” section! I am hoping that adding more dish towels to my offering might assist the “Kitchen” category.

Having a “Sale” has it’s good point and it’s bad points! I am hoping to sell more to reduce my offerings by 50% but with a “slow” economy I am not getting the amount of sales I would like a lately most customers are buying only the 50% OFF soaps although I have had a few exceptions which is good! It is interesting to see what is selling out of the 56 soaps I have put on “Sale”! “Sophisticated” which didn’t get much interest before is now selling like “hotcakes” and “Chamomile Eucalyptus Mint” is also doing very well also so I might have these two scents return to the regularly offered merchandise!

All in all, I have an optimistic outlook on the business but things will only happen if I put more effort into it and try new things! I have enough raw materials to make several new products so I need to put some effort into that and come up with additional products and increase my offerings to encourage people to come in. Additional signage in the window might help as well as signs inside the store that tell the customers a bit more about the products that are offered at Stone Cottage Soapworks. I think my next move is to take a walk around the store asking myself why each and every item is there and whether it is successful in it’s purpose and if it isn’t then it needs to go or be rearranged! The biggest part of this re-evaluation of the business i.e. the rearrangement of the store has take place and has been a success so now I must follow this up with further refinements! Wish me luck!

In the meantime...

stop by:
http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

and check out the large sale I am having!

David Bruce

2009-08-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe but two months have passed since my last post! June was a horrible month business-wise and part of that was the rainy and humid weather that we have been having all the way to today, August 1st! July was a bit better but still below what it should have been. I spent most of the July 4th holiday rearranging the store. I left all of the soap shelving on two walls as it was and concentrated on my area in front of and behind the desk and register. I decided that I would try to move myself a bit further away from the door to a less conspicuous position in the middle of that wall bringing the back of the counter area out of the eye of the customer as it should be. Part of this arrangement involved adding a narrower version of the tall shelving and adding another such tall shelf in front of the first with both now being on special wheels. On paper it looked like it would work well but in reality it didn’t work quite as well as I would have liked as the two towers seems to loom over the space a bit but I decided to leave it because for the most part it does what I need it to do! (That is until I can reach my goal of reducing the stock in the store!).

This project involved moving, reorganizing and restacking all of the stock in the first half of the alphabet. The other thing that I concentrated on was putting together a display area on the floor. Moving the tables provided more space in the back of the store as well as a much wider aisle when you first walk in the store. During the day I came up with the idea of using the wider shelving units that I had replaced with narrower shelving for display instead of using a table! This would also give me the added benefit of all that storage underneath for all of the understock! I set up what I thought looked good in the back and continued to work on organizing the work area in the back of the register. Finally I decided to try creating an aisle out of these shelves in that open area in the front and continuing it toward the back with two sets of Metro shelving end to end! I was a fabulous idea and worked out really well! I got most of that set up that day and left the store exhausted at about 7:00 PM.

I came back the next day, moved that shelving a bit more forward enabling customers to move freely around all four sides of the display. I had some time to think and had to decide what individual soaps I would like to support and what would have to go. It wasn’t an easy decision but a necessary one! To start I chose 56 scents that I planned to eliminate and I set them up in a special 50% OFF section on the new shelving on the aisle. So far it has worked out beautifully with the customers having full access to everything that they need and plenty of room to peruse. Along with creating new scent categories, reorganizing each area and alphabetizing all of the soaps in each category, I am pleased to say that this has proven to work out quite well!

I’ll get back to you all in a little while with more updates!

As always, stop by:

http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

and check out the large sale I am having!

David Bruce

2009-06-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

Time to Take Stock!

It is time for me to take stock both literally and figuratively. I have had the store now for nearly three years and the website will celebrate its first anniversary around the same time in September! It is always good to look at where you have been, where you are and where you are going. This is especially true with the economy being bad and business in general suffering because of that. It is easy to coast along and hope that things improve but better to take stock and see what you can do to make things better until the economy picks up!

I am looking at my offerings and seeing what is working well for me and what isn’t and what isn’t will just have to go! I have put a lot of stock on sale in both the store and on the website and plan to cut my soap offerings in half! So often I have heard the phrase “There are too many soaps to choose from in here” from customers to which I laughed and replied saying that I felt that I had something for everyone but not realizing that I just had too much stock and that I need to find the best selling items and concentrate on them.

I am taking a long and hard look at all of the soaps that I offer and making lists of what I feel should stay and lists of what I think should go. As not everything is always black and white, I also have a list of those scents that are in-between and I am considering that to do with them. In both the store and the website, I have soaps offered by category and I am making changes in those. I have found that some of the soaps in question actually would benefit by simply moving it to another section or category! One scent in particular comes to mind and that is “Citrus Tonic”. I describe is as “A citrus based tonic with the Essential oils of Bitter Orange and Petitgrain from the Bitter Orange tree and given assistance by a dash of Cardamom spice with a base of deep, rich Musk, precious Sandalwood and made with ground Orange peels.” I had it in the “Fruity” section in the store but came to the realization that because of its strong Bitter Orange scent and the addition of notes of Spice, Sandalwood and Musk that it would be perfect to offer to the gentleman in the “Masculine” section! I will also add “Vanille de St. Marie” to that section because of its Cedar notes and, after all, Vanilla has always been a great favorite of Men!

I am also looking to take my business in a different direction and start offering more bath related items and a section of kitchen related items as well! I think these things will really go well with the soap line and give the customers more reason to shop at Stone Cottage Soapworks! I prefer to leave the lotions and potions to the cosmetic people but I will certainly toy around with things like body butter and tropical butter sticks to use right after the bath or shower. I am also looking into shampoo and conditioner as well as bubble bath to add to my line, which already includes bath salts and bath bombs!

Another thing that I am considering is rearranging the store. I have tried several arrangements, all of which have moved me closer to the door but am considering trying something different and perhaps adding a table in the middle of the floor and see how that works. I think the best thing is to make up a full-sized scale model of the store and cut out templates of the stainless steel tables that I have in there as well as the wooden shelving and move them around on the mock-up to see what might work best. There are so many factors involved including the location of the power outlets, my location in regard to the door, how much of the store is visible from the register and how close to the door I am. Unfortunately, shoplifters are another consideration even in a small store like mine and in a quaint town like Frenchtown! Ask me how I know!

Another aspect that I should consider is the décor of the store itself! Many, many people have commented that they think my store is cute and I do appreciate hearing that but perhaps I may wish to make some changes in how I arrange and display things so that it may have more appeal… lots to consider!

In my last post, I mentioned our trip to Bermuda and meeting that lovely woman named Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone who is the perfumer from “Lili Bermuda”. I have been in touch with Isabelle and have consulted her on some of the things I have mentioned. She shared her thoughts, feelings and insights on scents and business and made some very helpful suggestions for which I am very grateful! As this is a somewhat new venture for me, I feel that it is important to confer with others in similar businesses to get new ideas and insights and she has been extremely helpful. Please stop by her shop at the Bermuda Perfumery and see her line of perfumes called Lili Bermuda if you visit St. George in Bermuda or visit her website at:

http://www.lilibermuda.com/

Meanwhile, I will be working on all of the things I have mentioned and will get back to you when I have made some progress! As always, stop by:

http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com and check out the large sale I am having!

David Bruce

The Bermuda Perfumery!

2009-05-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

How à propos that my last post was about fragrance! On a recent trip to Bermuda I had the distinct pleasure of going to the island of St. George and visiting the Bermuda Perfumery. As it was our first stop fresh off the ship, we were taken back by the atmosphere of the island with its’ pastel buildings with their bright white topped roofs! We walked up Queen Street past flowering bushes along the sidewalks to a lovely white stucco building with contrasting shutters and a white tile roof. We entered Stewart Hall in which the Perfumery is located and is the home of Lili Bermuda, a name that was familiar to me from my online research. It was simply but elegantly decorated with beams across the ceilings and the exposed tilework visible under the roof of this charming cottage.

We were then greeted by a lovely and very charming woman who invited us to sample the fragrance offerings for Men, giving us samples on white fragrance strips and telling us about each fragrance and its’ componants. She offered a tour and brought us into a back area with a video presentation about scent playing and a sampling of essential oils and fragrance componants on trays on the sideboard. After the presentation she came back and I mentioned that I was a soapmaker and that I worked with scent and develop unique scents of my own for my soap. Finding out that we had something in common we began to chat more indepth about scent blending and our experiences and goals and our businesses. She told me about many aspects of perfumery and I shared some of my experience in scent blending in my cold process soapmaking and much of what I talked about in my last blogpost. She then excorted us to an out building that contained huge glass bottles of fragrances that were macerating and shared some of her insight in scent blending talked about perfumery.

We went back to the front showroom area where we selected a fragance that we each liked and purchased them. I bought one called “Navy” that is described as “Crisp, clean and cool, Navy is a classic gentleman's cologne. Navy is a perfect harmony of citrus’s including bergamot, mandarin, verbena, green lime with a touch of coriander, juniper and basil delicately sustained with the refined undertones of vetiver, sandalwood, black pepper and amber.” from their website and my partner picked out another called “Cedar” for himself which was descibed as “This classic fragrance is a warm woody blend of cedarwood, bergamot, lavender, rosemary and juniper. Cedarwood exists in perfect harmony with subtle notes of vetiver, red oak and nutmeg in combination with white musk, labdanum and suede.” She introduced herself as Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone and gave us her card. She mentioned working with the perfumer Mr. David Botello who had been the prefumer for Lili Bermuda and who very recently passed away. I was given the opportunity to sample new fragrances that are being released this Summer as well as some that are still in the preparation stages. I eagerly await their release as they were quite lovely! She also very graciously offered us quite a few samples of their fragrances which I am eager to experience when I have a few free moments! We did briefly meet her husband but prepared to leave as we had taken up quite enough of her time and were heading out to see a bit more of the island. Hearing that she told us about many of the fragrant flora that can be seen and enjoyed on the island and gave us suggestions of where we might find some and even looked up some photos in a book so that we might know what we would be looking for. She was indeed right and we did find several of the beautiful flowers and flowering bushes whose fragrance we enjoyed and I photographed.

We appreciated the time she spent with us and we enjoyed our visit. She was indeed a good “hostess” to her visitors and even walked us to the door and waved to us as we headed out in search of some of those beautiful flowers she told us about!

If you have time check out the site of the Bermuda Perfumery at:
http://www.lilibermuda.com/

If you are in Bermuda make sure you go to St. George, go to the Bermuda Perfumery and meet Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone the perfumer for Lili Bermuda!

As always, stop by http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

David Bruce

fragrances...

2009-05-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

Folks,

I know it's been a while since I last posted but time flies so quickly!

I promised to tell you about my fragrance blending so here goes! When I first made soap I concentrated on perfecting my formulas for soap and experimenting with different oils before I settled in to the basic 15 oils and butters that I use now but I hadn't spent much time on fragrance. Although I knew that my soap was long lasting, created plenty of lather and was mild and gentle to the skin, it became obvious that I need to spend more time on the scent aspect of my creations.

I belong to several soapmaking message boards and on one of these boards was a gal that went by the name of "Cat" >^-.-^< She often posted about scent and shared many of her "formulas" on the boards and on other soapmaking sites. I downloaded all of her posts and formulas and saved them on my computer. I studied them and then started doing more research on the Internet on scents and perfumery. I began to make up my own blends based on perfume which uses Top, Middle and Bottom notes and is based upon the rates that each perfume ingredient is released after a perfume is applied. Perfumers work with a scent "pyramid" which is based upon these rates and goes from "top" to "bottom" notes and assigns a percentage to each category. Very quickly I realized that soap is a more "linear" medium because all notes hit you at once! So, though more research I came up with general percentages that I use for each category. I try to use as many of the Essential oils as I can in a formula but often I must rely upon Fragrance oils because of cost considerations. Single note Fragrance oils are difficult to find and much of what is out there contains "supporting" notes as well. Also, these are designed to be used alone and must have the strength and longevity in all applications. So, in perfumery all of the notes from top to bottom are not "created equal" but with fragrance oils most of them are! A Sandalwood fragrance oil has to be more powerful than a Sandalwood Essential oil actually is. So, in effect, the "top" "middle" and "base" notes are much more equal in value in fragrance oils as opposed to in Essential oils. This is what kept me from following the perfumers scent pyramid in formulating. Also, quite simply, I am making soap, not perfume so that has to be figured in as well.

I began to collect information on blending and created my own chart on Essential oil blending which is a compilation of many online resources and even included photographs! I also began to research the different perfumes that are out there to see what notes worked well together in a formula. This along with many old time soapmaking and perfume making books gave me a huge reference library from which I can create new formulas! With this information I began to create my own formulas which I used in soap. Often I would put together a "mini-blend" to see how it worked together making any adjustments needed when I made the full amount necessary for a batch of soap. Each time I used a new ingredient I could see how it blended with other ingredients and how much was needed to create the effect I want. Every so often I would find one that was much more powerful than I expected and I would need to change the amount when I made it for a full batch. But after using a certain scent a couple of times I learn about it and it becomes a part of my scent "arsenal".

My friend Kevin, suggested that I make up these scents ahead of time and let them "macerate". So I did and found out about the subtle changes that take place with aroma chemicals over time. All the while I had to consider the medium which is soap and therefore can have it's own scent based upon the ingredients and keep that in mind while formulating! Over time and began to write down my formulas and compiled a file that contains most of them. At this writing I have come up with 1624 formulas! I have gone through periods where ideas come to me in a constant flow and I just write them down one after another. Last Fall for two months I went through one of these "creative periods" and jotted down several hundred of these formulas! Every so often I look back and have found "duplicates" of some of these but I have only found one or two that are formulated the exact same way! Often, there are slight changes in percentages.

The thing one has to keep in mind is that there are literally hundreds of scents available to use and there is no reason why one couldn't create thousands of formulas based on them! The only limit is your imagination!

Thanks again to Cat for her inspiration and to all those who post their ideas and creativity on the Internet! It's a wonderful resource if you know how to use it!

I'll get back to you again when I have more time! In the meantime, stop by:

http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com

We have a new hosting service and the site is working faster and better than ever!

Moving along...

2009-02-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

Folks,

So, about three years ago my partner and I were strolling past this building on our way back from supper at the Thai restaurant in Frenchtown, we spotted this little shop for rent. We decided to check into it and within the week we had seen it, decided to give it a go and signed the lease!

As I say on my website http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com :

"In early 2006 we found a cute little shop for rent in a the quaint neighboring town of Frenchtown on the picturesque Delaware River and went to work painting and decorating it and getting it ready to open. Before we were able to open the Delaware River flooded its banks and 28 inches of ground water flooded the tiny shop. Still, we were determined to open and repaired, repainted and readied the store finally opening in September of 2006!"

It's been an interesting ride these past three years. Having the store has been fun but sometimes frustrating. It does put a damper on my social life on the weekends and takes up much time during the week as well. Everything I have had to do involving this business is something that I have never done before so it has been a continual learning experience for me!

There is always something that needs to be done. New signs made, stocking, arranging and rearranging the store, trying new things, researching new products, making more and more soap, dealing with putting up a website and making it change and evolve to suit the businesses' needs. This past year I developed bath salts, lip balms and liquid soap. Each formula required hours of research and some trial and error and many sample batches to get each product just the way I wanted it! I am really pleased with all three new products as well and the new soaps I have added to the line. At the time of this writing there are over 200 varieties of soap on the website and over 220 in the store!

I have to start work now but I'll come back and tell you a bit about my special fragrances that I create and that you can't find anywhere else on the planet! Oh my!

Stop by http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com and spend some time!

David Bruce

More History...

2009-01-14T05:52:00.000-08:00

Folks,

I can't believe that it has been almost 2 months since my last post! Time passes so quickly and the holiday seasons were so busy this year.

Anyway, you heard the beginnings of my soapmaking so I'll continue a bit more today. About 6 years ago we bought an old stone cottage in Western New Jersey and began to fix it up. There was lots to do and we did some major work on the outside of the house and in the yard. The other project that we had done was to take the old garage that had a tack and a feed room in one side and take down the wall and build a 200 sq. ft. room for my soapmaking. It is long and narrow and has a closet along one wall that is spilling out with my supplies and a closet in the back that holds the water pressure tank for the house and more shelves full of supplies. Everything was painted with a warm tan color and accents of bright red. The curtains are made with red/white gingham and there are three stainless steel restaurant tables, a deep well sink and a storage chest for buckets. Drying racks were added as well as rolling metal carts to handle the overflow and over the last 5 years enough supplies were purchased that the room is overflowing!

In 2003 I incorporated but didn't do any business for a couple of years while trying to decide exactly how I wanted to sell my soap. I kept experimenting with different soap formulas and perfected my soap during this time. A bit later I began to work on the scent aspect of soapmaking to make it a stronger aspect of what I am doing and got my soap finishing methods in order and created a bar that is polished and bevelled and is just the right size....

More next time!

Stop by http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com and check it out!

David

Some History...

2008-11-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Before I take you on my journey in soapmaking, I'd like to give you a little history. About 10 years ago I purchased some soap from a store in Camden Locke on a trip to London. I thought about it and I decided that it was something that I could do and I would like to give it a try! So, on and off for about a year I read up on soapmaking and tried to learn everything I could about it. (all of this on dial-up with a 28K modem!) I was living in a NYC apartment at the time and my other half wasn't eager to have me "experimenting" in his kitchen!

During that time I did a great deal of research into soapmaking and learned all about the fatty acid makeup of all the oils and what goes into making a good bar of soap! I developed a way of formulating taking into account the "conditioning" oils, and "lathering" oils, the oils used for "hardness" and came up with percentages for each category and went from there. I finally began to make soap in the little Tribeca kitchen and was very pleased with my first attempt! It was made with Olive, Palm, Coconut, Shea and Cocoa Butter and scented with Cedarwood Essential oil and Orange Essential oil with spices added! I still have a plastic box that has samples of this batch and I check it every so often and use a little now and then! It was perfect and I knew that I was onto something!

This was the beginning of the end and the beginning of my journey into soap madness! LOL! I began to purchase supplies, ingredients, utensils and still have the little red enamel soap pot that I used to make my first batch up on a shelf in my store! I found all sorts of interesting places to hide things and even had a 50 lb. container of Coconut oil that was hidden under the grand piano! My partner was none the wiser! Anyway, those were the beginnings of my soapmaking and I will tell you more in my next blog post! Thanks for listening and remember to keep washing and keep buying soap! (Hopefully at http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com !)

David Bruce

My First BLOG!

2008-11-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

This is the start of my new online diary about my experiences as a soapmaker, my business, my retail store and my website. I have been a soapmaker for about 8 years now and I opened my own business in 2003. My company is called Stone Cottage Soapworks Inc. and I have a retail store in Frenchtown, New Jersey. My website is http://www.stonecottagesoapworks.com and has been open for about two months now.

I will be posting about the trials and tribulations of being a soapmaker and the joy of running my own business and retail store and all that is involved in the whole process! I think I'll keep it brief tonight and post more tomorrow! Until then, keep washing and keep buying soap!

David Bruce