CHINA GROVE, N.C. — If a self-care bath and body product is on the list of someone you love this year, a North Carolina small business has you covered.
Old Town Soap Co. in China Grove has handmade soaps, bath and shower bombs, men’s products and more.
The family-owned business is run by Brent Engelhardt and his wife, Beth. In 2010, the couple gifted family, friends and co-workers with handmade soap after taking a soap-making class together.
“People loved it. She [Beth] would make more, people would ask for more,” Brent Engelhardt said.
That spark of attention toward handmade soap launched the family into making a hobby into a successful business. Engelhardt says their products can be found in 1,700 small businesses across the country and their products ship well beyond that.
“That is as handmade as it gets” Engelhardt said. “They drive from Charlotte, Greensboro, Lexington, Lenoir — I had a guy in from Lewisville in the other day.”
The manufacturing site is down the road from their storefront, in Landis. This is where the magic happens.
The staff of about 16 intricately craft each product, which is either shipped or shelved in the store. Engelhardt says the products sold at Old Town Soap make for a perfect gift, not just for the holidays but year-round, too.
“It’s a treat-yourself gift. It’s a ‘No I don’t need it,’ but a ‘I’d sure like to have it,’” he said.
The variety of colors and 12 scents give customers a personalized experience. Engelhardt watches as the products are made from start to finish and says if the public had an idea of how much work goes into the creation of a single bath bomb or hand soap, their love for the product would grow.
“It’s important that it [the business] maintains being handmade because we quality-control when they’re mixing, every time they mix, when they’re popping a bath bomb out, every time they pop a bath bomb out, every time we cut a bar of soap,” he said.
Old Town Soap gives North Carolina a reputation for making luxurious self-care products.
“When you think about giving somebody a gift, you think certain things,” he said. “You think what would really suit them, and when you can’t answer that, you say what do I really love I want to share?”
You can visit Old Town Soap Co. in China Grove, at 104 S. Main St., or visit oldtownsoapco.com.
This post was originally published on here
