For the past almost twenty years I've operated a soap manufacturing plant in the basement of our home. During that time and in addition to making soap, I also make over one-hundred other skin care products, and useful essentials in which all is manufactured inside what we call, "The Soap House on the Hill!"
Over the years, the space has also been set up for retail and merchandising in addition to manufacturing. That's been my biggest challenge I guess, having both, since our home isn't a huge home, but rather small. Offering a retail shop where product is showcased and then in addition, blended with manufacturing definitely urges you to be creative. In my case fifty pounds of this, that, back to this, that, and all sorts of bulk ingredients needed to make Bittersweets. Since my business has grown, those supplies double, triple in size, therefore requiring even more storage space in between manufacturing.
Let me tell you, having your business mixed in with your home can be challenging, but there's always ways to conquer those challenges. Personally, I've always been pleased as pudding to be able to operate my small business within the walls of my home. Firstly, there's no overhead. Second, I've always loved simply walking down our basement steps to enter my working studio. It has always felt good to do this.
Now that I have the shop away from home, and it's mostly manufacturing it's important to me to create a happy yen and yang space to work in. So in addition to a functional space, it must look esthetically fine to the eye. That's where the creative side of me requires this much necessary addition.
The past few days Lennis, (aka) as Super Lennis has been crafting a well planned work room. He started by building extra large counter tops, shelves, and then storage below.
The once cluttered space is now super functional and offers abundant storage.
The new space is in baby mode, but I can plainly see how it's going to be an amazing Soap House and Creative Work Space.
All those fifty pounds of this, that, will be housed under the extra wide counter. I'm making a curtain to run around the entire underside so that you won't see the ugly plastic containers. While the top shelf will house the many bottles of essential oils, and perfumes. Sweet!
The counter top will have a Super Duper New Soap Cutting Tool, and my fabric stash will be wrapped around these and neatly stored inside a small closet that's included in the room.
I've been having fun picking out lamps, and little decorative items to sit here and there. Cool punch pins for the memory board, that will now function as a soap calendar so that I can keep track of soap curing times, new soaps, etc. Things will be fine tuned and organized. Which in turn, will save valuable time and money.
I'm going to post progress reports so that you can see before and after shots.
Friday marks the end of my Winter break. Three weeks has flown by! It's been creatively productive and I've constructed new products and ideas.
When I go back I'll have a new POS system and the shop had a mini winter makeover that I'm anxious to take in. New soaps are being made in between this and that.
Looking forward to the many changes that are coming up in the New Year ahead.
We've been working really hard to make these productive changes, and I'm looking forward to finishing and setting up shop.
We're spending a quiet Saturday night at home. It's uncomfortably cold and it feels nice to be warm and cozy in The Soap House on the Hill.
We're making a batch of homemade peanut butter cookies.
I've been having a cup of hot cocoa before bed. I swear it helps me sleep. I love this cocoa! The best! We add vanilla and cinnamon. Oh so good, especially in the winter.
Jill
