Hi…Here we are down in Palm Springs, going to movies, hiking the palm oasis and shopping……yes, shopping for soap, a favorite fun pastime when it rains.
But…where is all the wonderful handmade Artisan soap I love so much? We’ve visited the high-end shopping districts, the big malls, the farmers markets, local craft fairs, art and craft shows…….nothing…well, almost.
Last year we met a young fellow at a fair with the most rustic soaps and packaging I had ever seen! But, everything he had was unusual, imaginative and really creative. This year…where have all the soapers gone???
Maybe it’s the economy! Twenty years ago, no one made handmade soap….then…..it became “the next Big Thing.” I think it was the hobby chain Michael’s who said soapmaking had become the fastest growing hobby in America. Handmade soap was everywhere!
Yesterday, we saw one line of soap that looked handmade…but it was sold in a big chain shop. At a local fair…the only ‘handmade’ soap was machine-made… some things are just impossible to do by hand. The only other one we saw in a natural foods shop was full of chemicals??!!
Where are all the soapers??? I think perhaps the poor quality soap just didn’t make it and disappeared. Maybe the hobbyists went on to the next “next Big Thing.” And the more successful soapmaker’s just got way more commercial.
It confirmed my feelings though, that Saltspring Soapworks is on the right path……just keep it natural, make it better, get better at making more…instead of taking the quick route with chemicals and machinery.
So, still shopping, and looking for that elusive bar of good handmade soap I can take home and shower with.
Bye from the Springs…
Linda Quiring,
Founder
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Wow! I never thought of soap making as a hobby. I love it the thought. Here at the homestead we make soap because it’s healthy, and we got tired of having dry skin during the winter. Skin is the largest organ you have and it absorbs 60% of whats on it so it makes sense to do it right. No wonder why people are having all kinds of health problems.