Creative Handmade Goods

10/24/2024

An update regarding the sale of SoapWerks Naturals.

Handing over the keys! The contracts are signed and Chrissy has her own set of keys.

We are pleased to announce that Chrissy from Re-Ewe'able will be taking over on November 1st. We’ve been working together behind the scenes now for several weeks and teasing about what was coming on our social pages, but next week, it all becomes real.

Chris and I met Chrissy and her husband, Sam, many years ago when we both had booths at the farmers market. We were hawking baked goods at the time and they sold their own Lazy Dog Maple Syrup tapped from the trees on their farm. They’ve since moved to another farm, Hay Ewe Hill, and are raising sheep 🐑 along with a variety of other animals. Re-ewe’able offers handcrafted wool dryer balls, felted scrubs, felted soaps (yes…many of those are SoapWerks soaps), and other wool products including wool pellets to be used as fertilizer— frankly, it’s quite an operation! Their commitment to renewable, sustainable products makes Re-ewe’able the perfect partner to the SoapWerks brand.

You will begin to see “SoapWerks by Re-ewe’able” popping up on labels and such, as well as new products in the shop supporting sustainability, use of local resources and ingredients, and lines such as pet care that will be implemented soon after Chrissy takes over.

For all you SoapWerks loyalists, don’t fret, all our best selling products and the refillery will live on! But do expect a few changes as Chrissy puts her stamp on things.

We are excited to leave our business in very capable hands and know that it will continue to grow and expand even more. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter looks like for SoapWerks.

PS - Even though ownership will change hands, you’ll still be coming in to 216 W Lincoln for all your soapy, wooly, and refill needs.

Note re: online orders

As of yesterday, our website is not accepting soapy orders until the changeover is completed. Expect online ordering to be back in early November. Meantime, reach out if you need something and we will get you taken care of.

10/04/2024

This fun family-focused event is tomorrow Sat 10/5 from 3-5pm at the Riverfront Pavilion.

Both free and paid activities for the kiddos (or kids at heart).

09/30/2024

Happy Anniversary to us! One door 🚪 closes and another opens…

Four years ago today, September 30th, we opened the doors to our downtown retail shop in the midst of a global pandemic. To say we took a risk is a major understatement.

Although we had already been selling our soapy products for many years prior, we had never ventured into to full-time brick and mortar retail. I had never worked in retail and Chris’ retail experience was decades past. We both did however have years of experience in business, technology, and customer service. We figured, “We’re smart! We can wing it.” And we did.

Normally, our retail anniversary would be marked with a pretty big one-day sale, some grab bags, and frankly, lots of you popping in to shop. This year is going to be a little different.

We are closed today, Monday 9/30 because it’s a Monday and our fall hours are Tues-Sat 11-530. But also… some things are happening at the shop.

We’re rearranging things and making room to move “the Werkshop” back over to the shop. This move is something I’ve been contemplating for a couple of years; wanting to go back to combining retail and manufacturing into the same space — like things were when we started. The timing was finally right. And honestly, I’m kinda stoked to see how it works out.

So, no Anniversary Sale this year but fun changes happening. As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, we will be getting things made and stocked back up now that we’re no longer closing but have, in fact come to an agreement with another local business to purchase inventory, etc. We ask once again for your patience as we make these changes. We promise, we’ll find a way to make it up to you!

Stop in this week and see the new layout for yourself.

🍁 Fall Hours: Tues-Sat 11-530

Don’t forget to use up those bubbles 🫧.
They are valid through 10/31/24.

Also, we’d appreciate it if you could dust off those gift cards 🎁 💳 and use those up too!

09/26/2024

A reminder to please use your gift cards before 10/31/24.

We have sold our inventory and fixtures and the last day of “Creative Handmade Goods” is 10/31.

09/26/2024

Have you had your Uncle Eddie's today?

It’s always sad when Uncle Eddie’s closes for the season. The smell of those waffle cones baking sometimes drifts into the shop on nice days when our door is propped open. Stop in for a cone before they close for the season.

Last 4 days of Uncle Eddie’s till next season!!!! Come get your waffle cones with delicious ice cream while supplies last!! Open Today-Sunday 2-9pm!

09/15/2024

As we transition our business, we want to remind everyone to use up those gift cards you’ve got stashed in your wallets or wherever in your home they have been hiding. Stop in, stock up and use up those balances.

We don’t want to disappoint you, so we’re encouraging you to use them up soon!

We appreciate every one of you! Let’s connect soon.

09/11/2024

Never forget.
Remember and Honor.

9-11-01

09/09/2024

Spent my morning putting the final planning notes on paper for a fall festival with fellow small business owner and co-sponsor, Jeney from Peney Cakes.

As soon as we finalize the activity lineup, we will share all the info, but meantime, mark your calendars for a fun fall festival to be held downtown on Sat, October 5th.

Fall Photo Booth
Face Painting
Cookie Decorating
Leaf Printing
Corn Pit
and more…

Local folks-If you’d like to sponsor or support an activity or volunteer, let me know ASAP please.

09/06/2024

From our friends at SoapWerks Naturals

It’s been a little over a week since we announced that we will be closing our retail shop in downtown Fergus Falls. We’ve gotten A LOT of questions about our plans post-closure. We love how you love our products, we really do!

So here’s a little FAQ:

🍃Have you considered selling instead of closing? Yes! In fact, we’ve had some pretty in depth conversations with a few legitimate potential buyers. Unfortunately, things just haven’t come together and it was time to make a decision.

🍃When are you closing? Our lease ends 11/30/24 so we’ll be closing sometime prior, or when we sell out so that we can vacate our space and turn it back over to our landlord. Our last sales day will obviously be some number of days/weeks prior. That will depend on inventory.

🍃Are you still making/restocking? Yes! And no. It depends. We added a brand new soap scent last week (Aronia Berry Goat Milk Soap) and a Lavender scented option in the Magnesium Cream. If we have packaging, the ingredients, labels, etc and are running low, we will restock. Magnesium Oil, and a small batch of Ultra Creamy Lotion will hit the shelves next week. Shower Oils were restocked in several scents late last week, as well as Lavender Citrus Deodorant. Laundry Sheets and Solid Dish Soap bowls hit the shelves yesterday. Some items, we are either out of a key (or expensive) ingredient or do not have appropriate packaging, so we’re having to get creative, or choosing to discontinue. In Foaming Soaps, we’re pretty much down to Lavender or Lavender or Lavender in bottles, but we do have Lakes & Prairie and Luscious Lemongrass available on the Refillery. Inventory is a moving target. We will do our very best to accommodate.

🍃I love your “x” and can’t live without it, what do I do? As we said when we announced our closure, we’re going to take the winter months (we typically go south in the winter anyway) to figure out our next steps. Our current thinking is that we may continue in an online capacity but with a scaled-down number of products. We are fortunate that our point of sale system helps us track product sales (and scents), so we can see actual data about what products are our best sellers. We’ll take that information and use it to help us make our go-forward decisions. We’re contemplating a possible subscription offering that will help you get the product when you need it, but also help us manage a much smaller inventory. So…even though we don’t have ALL the answers, we are looking at many different options. Stay tuned for more.

🍃How much do I need to stock up? We’re going with full disclosure here, you should buy what you’ll need through June. Since everything we make is small batch and freshly made, you’re completely safe with buying now whatever you’ll need through then. We’re not trying to panic you, just setting realistic expectations.

🍃What about the Refillery? Honestly, online refilleries are a ton of work for both consumer and seller. No one LOVES the Refillery more than Jan, our founder. We’re looking at options. We really want to be able to continue refilling and doing our part to save the planet.

🍃Will you have a sale? Yes! We’re not sure on the details yet but there will be a time when we have to start getting serious about closing so a pretty amazing sale will happen at some point. We will also be liquidating some of our displays and shelving.

💦🧼🫧🧴🛁

That’s pretty much all the news that’s fit to print right now. If you’ve read this far, we want to thank you by offering you a “coupon” for $5 to be used in the retail shop if you show us this post.

We love the support you’ve shown us thus far and hope to see you soon to stock up.

09/03/2024

Hey friends… we’ve got a great deal on SoapWerks Naturals bar soaps going on this week Tuesday thru Friday!

We don’t have any back to school photos of kiddos, but we do have a fantastic back to school sale on our amazing cold process soaps!

All bar soaps are on sale this week (Sept 3rd thru 6th) at 5 for $30.

That’s only $6 per bar! They are normally $7.95 each so this week you’ll save $1.95 PER BAR.

Please note, you do have to purchase the bars in 5’s (5,10,15 etc to get the deal).

Back to school is a great time to think about making sure handwashing is high on everyone’s to do list. Make sure you’re stocked up and ready for the germs life will be throwing your way. Also…what a great time to stock up on holiday stocking stuffers at a fantastic price.

The 5 for $30 soap sale is going on in the shop and at all our farmers market locations this week!

09/02/2024

Morning brew at Outstate Brewing Company. Great coffee and a lovely view.

09/01/2024

It’s September. That means our fall hours begin.

We are now open Tues through Sat from 11-530.

Open 24/7 online at SoapWerksNaturals.com