Melissa Hutcheson is the owner and and founder of the Joy of Soap out of Hayward, California. They take pride in making their bath products from organic, natural and sustainably grown ingredients. The fabulous Melissa was kind enough to send us two bars of her handmade creations; Rosy Cheeks Rosemary and Ginger Snap! They are both quality bars of soap with lovely lathers.

Alright, gang, hold on to your seats! It’s time for 5 quickfire questions for Melissa. Here we go…

Melissa: I have always enjoyed arts and crafts and making things. I also used to travel quite a bit for work and realized that bath products in the hotels were not so nice for my skin. Once I started researching ingredients and their impact on skin and complexion I understood that I needed to make some changes. I found a great business nearby, The Nova Studio, where I could take a class on how to make soap. Lori Nova, the founder and owner of The Nova Studio is a great teacher and I admire the way she has developed her own niche and business to help others learn new skills. From there I started making soaps from scratch in my kitchen, storing them in the garage and packing them in the dining room. Several months later we built a website and sales started coming in slowly and have been growing steadily over the past year.

Melissa: The creativity involved. The opportunity to dream big, and to learn (by doing) how to turn the dream into a viable business. There is so much to learn, and so many people out there who want to help small businesses succeed if you just ask for guidance.

Melissa: The Synergy Blend Essential Oils. These are great essential oil blends that take the guess work out of discovering the right blend of oils. I also like the website layout. It is easy to navigate and provides clear details on all products – thank you!

Melissa: I am inspired by images and scenery; images in nature and in publications. I can easily spend hours exploring gardens, and when I travel I try to visit gardens to learn more about a region’s flora and how they are used in making local beauty products. Ideas come to me when researching ingredients, and from friends, family and people I interact with in all types of settings. Our Shaving Soap was inspired by my acupuncturist based on her knowledge of herbs and personal experience, and my husband inspired our Manly Man Soap which is now our most popular bar.

Melissa: Be patient. Be clear on your goals and set a realistic time line for achieving both small and big goals based on your time and financial resources. You may need to change course along the way in order to achieve a goal, and you may also discover a different focus as well. This is OK, and will ultimately produce a more successful business. Be open to asking and receiving help; it is OK to delegate tasks to people who have experience in areas where you do not. You will save so much energy and worry less if you realize that you do not have to do everything yourself. If you are not having fun anymore it’s time evaluate why and what you need to adjust, change, stop doing, delegate, etc. Stay inspired.

Anne-Marie: Thank you so much, Melissa, for the inspiration and advice. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the Joy of Soap!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/u-suke/ / CC BY 2.0

On my trip to NYC last week, I got a tip from SoapyLove that PapaBubble was the place to visit on my partial free day. I took the subway to Little Italy and Canal Street and proceeded to walk my way through the neighborhoods until I found this little gem of a candy store.

The PapaBubble ‘chain’ (is it a ‘chain’ if there’s only four stores?) started in Barcelona. In fact, the owners of the New York store originally were packers for the Barcelona store. They loved the concept so much that they started their own candy outpost in Manhattan. They formulate, make and package all of their candy at a bar in the store. If you’re lucky, you’ll get there when they’re making a batch.

PapaBubble will do custom words for anything your heart desires. The minimum order is $330 and they can put words or shapes (or a combo) into little pillow candies to take your next bridal shower to a whole ‘nother level.

The whole ambiance of the shop is sterile, minimalist and a little goth (there’s a lot of black) and this decor makes the color in the candy stand out all the more. Each candy flavor has a unique design and look. They are attractively packaged in adorable (again, minimalist) black and white jars. Or you can buy refill bags for $2 off the jar price.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meltingnoise/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0Like soap, there’s never any waste. The owners turn candy ends into works of edible sculptures, with them resembling giant vegetables or maybe vestigial body organs.My favorite flavors were Chili Salt Watermelon & Lime Chili & a fizzy one that I think they called ‘Pop’ (or something that denoted its fizzy nature).

From a small business owners perspective, I took away three lessons:

1. Do one thing and do it very, very, very well. PapaBubbles doesn’t teach classes (which would seem to be a natural). They make candy with five ingredients (albeit very high end candy). And they make it extraordinarily well. They make candy into a rarefied, elevated art form – enough that my bill was $34 and I left with the equivalent of 2 M&M bags full of hard candy.

2. Turn it into an experience. Part of the PapaBubble magic is that they make candy in front of you, allowing you to be a part of the magic. It’s not just a candy store – it’s an imaginarium where dreams, colors and shapes come to life. We try to do this at Otion with our Soap Bar.

3. Be in a niche. PapaBubble is in a clear sweet spot and charge for that niche. They’re not the low cost provider of candy and they’re not trying to be. They’ve figured out the unique mix that makes it possible to charge quadruple to supermarket brands charge. As Donna Maria from Indie Beauty Network says, ‘The riches are in the niches.’

Next time I go to New York, I am headed to PapaBubble right away so that I won’t be without my Watermelon Chili Salt crack longer than I need to be.

I’ve posted a video below (for blog visitors) from CoolHunting.com that gives the full feel of the shop. And of course, the trendy and crafty Martha Stewart has been there as well. If you can’t get enough of PapaBubble NYC, you can click here to be taken to the Martha Stewart clip of her experience making Valentine’s Day Candies with the owners.