Together - Apart

The 2020 pandemic has been life changing for everyone and not one person remains unaffected. Small businesses are no exception. These often family-owned endeavors are the life blood of many communities and the wide-ranging shelter in place protocols have greatly impacted the ability of small business to remain viable. Those that do have had to find a way to pivot their business model and hustle. Many are finding new ways to connect to customers. For us, deemed an essential business by the county in which we operate, we find our passion of soapmaking is not only useful during this time for its ability to keep hands clean at a critical moment, but also its ability to connect families that must remain apart.

When the pandemic first hit our retail partners went silent. Everything stopped and many stores no longer knew how to operate safely so they reduced their operation or completely shut down, but much like the cavalry in the moment of crisis, our customers came through. We were stunned to see that the customers who no longer felt safe going to stores found us online and kept us afloat when our future looked uncertain.

As the months passed, we found that this shift was not a fluke, while the stores began to reopen our online customers kept coming. No longer was it fueled by a rush to acquire soap, they came to us as a conduit to connect to family and friends. Customers were no longer waiting for special occasions to gift, instead they chose to connect with us as a conduit. Now, not a single day passes without an order coming through where we are asked to convey, regard, love, hope and well wishes to relatives and friends who cannot be together.

This year, you will not see us at the in-person holiday shows, but innovation finds a way. The virtual gift show has taken the place of the traditional in person gathering, allowing customers to connect with their favorite local artisan brands as they shop and support their communities by selecting a variety of locally made gifts. You will find us at many of these events as you shop for family, friends or employees as we like many other small businesses continue to pivot and evolve. One area show you can find us at is Gifty by the Crucible. The Crucible’s GIFTY is an annual celebration of local creative culture that features art vendors and makers. It is our first time at this show, and we are thrilled to have been selected to participate. We are also participating in Giving Back at Gift, a program designed so that 100% of proceeds will benefit The Crucible’s Industrial Arts Programming. Check out our 2020 holiday offerings and remember that we offer local pickup when you checkout on our website. We strive to be a bridge as we connect with one another in this time of being together yet apart.