Here is our interview with Rebecca -
Briefly describe what you make?
I create divinely scented handmade, shea butter soaps that contain skin loving ingredients like unrefined shea butter, rice bran, cocoa butter and olive oils. They create a wonderfully rich lather that you can both shave with or use as a shampoo bar. All of my soaps are made from scratch using the cold process soapmaking method and never a pre-existing base.
I also make shea butter and goat milk lotions that leave your skin feeling moisturized, soft, and silky smooth. They contain a combination of Goat’s Milk, Honey and Shea Butter in addition to aloe, sunflower, and soybean oils - all wonderful ingredients for hydrating your skin. My lush lotions are nice and thick so that such as with a cream, a little goes a long way.
What mediums do you enjoy working in most?
I love working with shea butter. I include shea butter as an ingredient in everyone of my soaps and lotions without exception. I also love to experiment with different fragrances though I do carry two unscented soaps for those with allergies or skin sensitivities.
How long have you been creating craft?
I started Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen in February 2001 and have been going ever since. Before soapmaking I worked in a variety of other mediums including scrap booking, painting, screen printing, sculpture, pottery, drawing, photography, graphic design and writing. I was an art major in college so I studied a little of everything including a bit of art history. Soapmaking, however, came after college and was self taught.
How did you get started?
I started buying handmade soaps due to skin sensitivities and it was love at first use. Naturally, due to my creative background, I had to give it a try for myself. After a lot of studying and experimenting, I finally got the knack of soapmaking and came up with my own recipes for the soaps I now sell today. Once I got what I wanted, I decided I'd start up a business and that's exactly what I did. I didn't really get serious about selling though until some years later. I also started out on my own website, not etsy.
Where does the name of your shop come from?
The original idea behind my business was to sell soaps that smelled like delicious favorites from the kitchen I was all about food scents in the beginning. So I combined that idea with my name and Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen was the first idea to pop out of my head. It sounded good so I stuck with it. I've since expanded my line to include more than just food scents however. Lots of people appreciate the scent of lavender and honeysuckle.
What would you most want people to know about your work?
Basically that I really care about my product and I aim for customer satisfaction. If I notice something wasn't right with a product I sent out, I'm going to fix it. If you didn't like a scent, I'm not going to leave you stuck with it. Buying things with an aroma online is difficult and I want to make that experience as pleasant as possible. I also stand by the quality of my product, so if anything is ever not as it should be I want to know so I can make it right.
What words of advice do you have for other artists?
You're only going to get as much out of your business as you're willing to put into it. If you aren't willing to invest full time hours into it, you're not going to get full time money back out of it. Running a business is hard work. It's not a hobby. It takes a lot of time and dedication. There's a reason so many first time businesses fail in the first three years. There's also a reason most businesses don't profit until after the first three years. Secondly, there is truth in the old adage you have to spend money to make money.
------------------------------
I can't resist saying that working in soap, Rebecca must be cleaning up! Bad joke! Come and see Rebecca's shop - you will like what you see!
No comments:
Post a Comment