Bittersweet and the little soap company

courage

I've been thinking about how things have changed and how there's a movement of courage that seems to have grown in all of us in the past six months. Do you know what I'm referring to? 

During this time of evaluating and examining and being creative, I also feel a shift in how I feel about my store.  I've always wanted guests to experience our store while turning on all six senses, but recently I have also begun pondering how our Modern Apothecary Store should leave you with feelings of happiness and joy. I want your visit to live on, while memories of fondness carry you through until your next visit. That the next time you call, there's a bounty of fresh merchandise and extraordinary displays that get you excited all over again! I've always felt this, but in today's climate, those feelings are more intense. 

Since I've been focusing on those thoughts I have an exciting new perspective. Those new feelings have a positive vibe associated with precise anticipation. I have mentioned in past posts how that is one of my favorite words. The moment in which, well here's the definition.

Definition of anticipation

 The act of looking forward especially: pleasurable expectation looked forward with anticipation to their arrival

 visualization of a future event or state

 

Building up to one's anticipation has always been a feeling that stands out even when I was a young girl, and I've grown to appreciate the uncertainty and sometimes quirky behavior associated with anticipation. Taking it for face value and not putting too much thought into it. 

I know what you're thinking... Here she goes again with her philosophical discussions!

I'm just saying thoughts of what is to come or not come really aren't significant to one's happiness. Something to think about...

Oh boy, we have some exciting new ideas for Fall, Winter! 

Our Holiday Soap production has started and the scents of apple, pine, cranberries, cinnamon, sweet orange, vanilla, peppermint, are thick in the studio air. 

I just calculated and put the final check marks on a strategic soap manufacturing plan that will fulfill the supply and demand needed to fulfill stock inventory at both our store and web site.  It helps to lessen the hustle and bustle of the holiday season at Bittersweet. Since it takes four to six weeks for Bittersweet to cure that period of time is always tallied and double-checked to ensure the safe arrival of our Twelve Days of Christmas Soap. The next seven weeks or so will be full speed ahead and in between shop duties and other store proprietress obligations, the wooden soap spoon will be whipped around hundreds of times! It's the season of soap!

 

We just released our latest Golden Harvest and the week before, one of our favorite fall blends, Persian Pear. 

We're building castles in the air as we put the finishing touches on Holiday packaging ideas and new merchandising displays. 

A shipment of cozy sweaters and leather boots will be arriving next week! Considerate planning and well-thought ideas circulate to which merchandise is a good fit for our store along with thoughts of items that are rare but essential and practical all in one. I'm a practical girl!

You are going to love it all!

The zinnias are beginning to fade from summer and autumn is making her way forward. 

An Alice Bracelet may not change your life, but it will definitely make you smile! They make me smile when making them because they're named after my sweet soft-spoken mom, Alice!

   Our Essential Oil Cleanse is used to clean our store. When entering our store the aroma of Clove, Cinnamon, Lemon, Rosemary, and Eucalyptus fills the air. This purifying blend soothes your mind and your soul. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

simple pleasures

A bounty of petite gourds certainly did put a smile on my face! If you study each tiny pear or apple-shaped plant you'll shine with admiration for their unique beauty. Then again, I'm a sucker for natural elements and especially fond of incorporating such things into seasonal displays. 

This past week the store has been blossoming into fall.

We have been receiving new shipments of clothing and accessories and we began releasing new fall flavors. Autumn is always an exciting time at Bittersweet. 

The soft scent of Persian Pear will get you in the mood for fall! We offer this amazing scent in a variety of bathing essentials including Bath Salt.

This Dry Oil or Liquid Lotion may be scented with this aromatic fall fragrance. 

I mentioned my fondness for this scroll a few posts ago. I love this little poem! I'm curious about who wrote it?

The Fiddle Leaf Figs are needing a trim. A customer shared this method with me this week. I'm going to give it a try. 

I hope you're taking in some downtime and enjoying the simple pleasures that life offers. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

 

Faith

The past few days have been spent visiting a couple of chain retail stores and during my visit, I've noticed that both stores are not restocking new merchandise. If they do the shelves are sparse and almost empty. Have you noticed this too? It can mean a number of things and is to be expected with a pandemic. It could be a demographic thing, but I don't believe so. I would imagine if I traveled to California or New York I'd encounter the same. 

During my visits to these stores and as I headed back to my car empty-handed my mind wandered about on the different reasons those shelves were empty. There's a number of reasons that come into play, but let's start with a pandemic. That will help to put these reasons into perspective. 

Firstly, these stores don't know what tomorrow brings. Will they be forced to close again? Will shoppers return and shop in their stores like before the pandemic? Will the economy bottom out? Those three questions are key and help answer the question of why their inventory is so low.  

I can assure you that these three questions have been asked over and over by corporate leaders and retail establishments. The problem, there is no easy answer. Their future is undetermined. 

These questions bring on multiple questions and concerns and the to-do list is long. 

The other day I was chatting with someone and they were pretending that times were, well like before the virus hit. I said to them, it is not like it was before! Businesses are taking precautions that they've never in their wildest dreams would have even considered say a year ago! Our minds are filled with unanswered questions and concerns. 

Typically sales are down for most small businesses, including my small business, and the future is undetermined. That word!  Undetermined! I now consider it a bad word!

Turning it around...

As I was walking back to my car I began to experience thankful feelings that immersed themselves in gratitude. I have kept a steady eye on Bittersweets numbers. Our numbers were'ent too bad, considering. Our overhead was low and since we make most of our inventory we have not been forced to depend on others for the goods that we carry in our store. 

I know that this post seems gloomy and sad. It is not intended to bring you down. It's simply helping to expand your knowledge and understanding. 

Bittersweet considers ourselves fortunate in more ways than we can count! We continue to offer new merchandise on a weekly basis and the reason we can do that and justify doing so is that we are a manufacture. I can assure you that if we were a wholesale, retail business, we would not be ordering new items nor re-stocking our shelves. There are too many risks involved in this unstable climate.

Sadness continues and let's be real...

I'm saddened by the fires burning in our country. So many lives are being emptied from their homes and their future is uncertain. That word! 

We must not lose hope in our future and the grit and determination of our fellow man, woman. We are strong and resilient and with the grace of God, we shall move forward with even more determination and courage. 

If you see someone that seems down, make an attempt to lift them up and let them know that you're thinking of them. 

It may sound cliche, but love will win!

Treat other's the way you wish to be treated and remember that everyone is going through something. Some big somethings and some not so big. 

Keep the faith.

Jill  

 

 

material goods

This week I'm in the mood for fall! I'm sharing some of my favorite finds that will lift you closer to the glorious season. 

If you click on the images it will take you to the source. 

One of the reasons I love letter boards is simple. The lettering that you use on the inexpensive boards may be shuffled to match the seasons. We're into fall phrases and I love the one that we used for this board! Later you can gather fall leaves or pumpkins to sit next to your autumn board. 

Who doesn't love a muslin bag? The cotton sacks have an assortment of uses at our store. We love them and they're available at our web store. 

The Alice Bracelet! Each bead is stranded with memories of my mom, Alice. Each Alice Bracelet is unique and crafted with wood, bone, paper, and glass beads and so much love that when you wear it you can't help but feel it! 

Our favorite season is approaching and we love sharing our ideas and treasures with you. 

Well wishes and happy thoughts, always. 

Jill 

Light Layering

Even though our store is small it houses over fifty lamps and pendants! That sounds crazy, right? Think again. If you caught my last post that mentioned the bam that texture adds to a room so does lighting. We always refer to lighting as a mood enhancer because the proper lighting can transform a room no matter how big or small the room is. 

There isn't a day go by that I don't get the question, where do you get your lamps? Honestly, sometimes it's easier to purchase two lamps rather than twenty from a wholesaler, and so when I'm out and about I'm always on the look-out for cool lamps. Even if I'm not really needing new lamps my mind is always open to spot them because like I said, lighting can change the look of a room instantly!

I also have a trick that you'll love. I have learned that it's easy to get overwhelmed in a lamp department. Here's my trick to finding the lamp that will become your favorite when you take it home. Stand back and gaze upon the rows of lamps. I mean really stand back and look at the lamps as though you're choosing a shirt or dress. Once you spot one that you're fond of take it from the shelf and place it alone on a store display or table. Now stand back and look at the lamp. This lamp choosing technique sounds easy as pie, right? You will be surprised at how when the lamp is modeled it looks different. There have been times that I've fallen in love with a lamp that sits amongst other lamps, but when I place it on its own, it doesn't turn me on! Try this technique the next time you are shopping for lamps. I promise it will shed new light on lamp shopping! Sorry, I couldn't resist using the puns! I also forgot to tell you that when you set the lamp on its own so that you can get a closer look, you might just get a few stares and curious bystanders will wonder what on earth you're doing!  No worries, they're probably thinking, why haven't' I done that!

I've been knee-deep in genealogy research! I'm planning a trip to Scotland down the road and I'm searching for links to my family members that resided in a few Scottish Castles. The castles still stand and I can't wait to walk on the same ground as my sixteenth great grandfather. I'm sticking with my father's side in my search so the lineage would be restricted to my great grandfathers. I did however also find that one of the clan chiefs brothers resided in a different castle. It's all very interesting and consumes much of my time. It's something I've yearned to do forever, so it feels great to finally uncover the hidden truths about my family's heritage. It will be a lot of fun to know my forefather's exact landmarks and locations when I arrive in Scotland. I know it will feel as though I'm coming home!

In between all that research, comes fall-winter manufacturing!

Our studio is filled with spicy scents that help me to get in the mood for fall. Our hot summer days have been replaced with cooler north wind mornings and you can feel that autumn is not far away!

We're also heavy into making lotion bars and facial serums!

As the weather turns cooler bath time becomes a pleasurable thought!

Keep the faith.

Jill