Handmade Natural Beauty Boutique Expands to Powell Place

 

In April 2012, I officially opened my expanded location within historic Powell Place in downtown La Crosse. My tiny location on 5th Ave. S. was a great start to "dip my toe into retail," but didn't offer the visibility or foot traffic I desired for my shop. The move to Powell Place, seats me right in the heart of downtown La Crosse, near several prominent hotels and the river. Already I've noticed a new clientele of tourists that I never had the opportunity to meet on 5th. Plus the established businesses of Painted Porch directly in front of me, Lillians around the corner, and Salon diAmci and E-Spa down the hall from me provide a nice destination for tourists and local shoppers alike looking to wander from shop to shop.

 

Having moved my soap kitchen to the back of my reatail space, provides me with the best usage of time in between helping customers... not to mention I can actually cook food at home now instead of having soap and lotion production taking over the kitchen!

 

Some new features of the shop include a "Blending Bar" where customers can select from a vast selection of fragrances and essential oils to order their own custom signature scented items I can mix on the spot for them. With the additional space I've also expanded my Handmade Natural Beauty line to include more cold process soaps including Soap Cupcakes, Kaolin Clay Luxury Swirl Soaps, Goats Milk Soaps, and Shower Tabs.  I also have included the same consignment artists I had on 5th with the addition of several more. Some of the consignment items include handmade jewelry, fused glassware, quilted purses and organizers, scarves and accessories and pottery. I'm open to considering new artists work that goes along the theme of my business... handmade first and formost... secondly if it is made from natural materials and goes along with beauty all the better!

 

Please stop in and visit the new location... 200 Main Street inside Powell Place, La Crosse, WI 54601. Phone is 608-782-SOAP (7627) and hours are Wed - Fri 10 am to 6 pm, Sat 10 am - 5 pm and open the same Sunday that Lillians is open (usually the first full weekend of the month). Please like me on facebook (Handmade Natural Beauty Boutique) for the latest updates!

New Retail Location! Handmade Natural Beauty Boutique is open!

I have taken the plunge and opened a retail location in downtown, La Crosse, WI. I signed the lease in February and spent a couple of months working on painting, setup and displays. It was a lot of work but fun too. Most of the displays are all recycled/repurposed materials from my home, Goodwill, Salvation Army and the Habitat Restore. My favorite find was from the Restore and is a double sink vanity. I got clever and took out some of the plumbing elements and stuck christmas lights up from the plumbing into the sink bowls. I then placed a piece of textured tempered glass over the countertop. It makes the coolest table to display soaps!

I officially opened the first weekend in April, 2011. So far the traffic has been sporadic, usually depending on the weather, but I'm remaining optimistic! Plus, even on the slower days, I'm usually not bored, because I can use the time to make jewelry and work on graphic design client projects. (The location also serves as my office for my graphic design business, Direct Design Solutions).

Besides offering my complete line of handmade bath and body products, I also have my beaded & wire wrapped glassware, photography and beaded jewelry. Additionally, I feature two other local artists' jewelry as well.

My hours are M-F 10 am to 6 pm; Sat. 10 am to 4 pm and Sun. 11 am - 3 pm. If I have shows or something pressing I do occassionally close on the weekends, so I encourage customers to join my facebook page for updates and my enewsletter. If you're local or visiting the area, please stop in to visit me and see what the boutique has to offer!

Handmade Natural Beauty conducts "Animal Testing"!

OK hold on PETA! Before you revoke my membership, hear me out!

Last week my Intern/Marketing Assistant, Theresa gave my newly redesigned Dog Shampoo Bar a try and enlisted the help of my very own Shitzu, "Cookie" - a semi-willing volunteer, lol!




A bit about the new Dog Shampoo Bar... With it's special blend of essential oils it repels fleas and ticks naturally. It's really easy to use too. Wet pet's coat throughly with warm water. Loop hand through handy hemp rope and apply sudsy bar. Work into coat and avoid eyes. Rinse with clean water. Praise your "pretty dog" lavishingly! Hang soap to dry by the rope in between uses.

The bar itself comes in either a round 4 oz. bar with a large pawprint, as shown in the picture or a larger 5.25 oz. rectangular bar with a few small paw prints on it. They come with an embedded natural hemp rope. They aren't on the website yet, but stay tuned!

Handmade Natural Beauty Now Offers Mineral Makeup!

As of August 1, 2008 - a loooonnnngggg time in the making, I just added a complete line of Mineral Cosmetics to my natural bath and body products line.

So now besides offering high-quality natural bath and body products, my company Handmade Natural Beauty now offers a pure mineral makeup line. Included are:

Mineral Foundations, Mineral Bronzers, Mineral Finishing Veils, Multi-Purpose Minerals, Mineral Blushes, Mineral Lip Colors, Sheer Mineral Lip Glosses, Super-Matte Eye Color Trios, Mineral Kits and Professional Makeup Brushes.

Finally!!!! I bought a mineral makeup making kit about 3 years ago and have been making my own makeup since then. I have been asked by several customers to add that to my line and its been something I've wanted to do, but, there was a lot to be considered. I didn't want to just launch foundation. If I was going to offer mineral makeup, I wanted a pretty complete line with colors too. So this has been a long gradual process spanned out over the last couple of years. I needed to work on ingredient suppliers, formulas, packaging, labeling, photography, etc. I got more serious about it and have been working pretty steady on the project for about six month. The final push was late July and I was determined to reveal it August 1st. So, after working virtually for weeks straight and staying up until 4:30 am on the 31st, I finally was ready to launch my mineral makeup line! My consultants didn't even know it was coming as I didn't want pressure of "is it done yet?" It was an exciting surprise for all!

If you have any questions, please be sure to message me. Please check out my site and let me know what you think!

www.naturalbeautysoaps.net

Funny: The Zen of Sarcasm

I saw this posted on one of the networks I belong to and thought it was funny. Enjoy!
~Angie

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. Its always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the windshield; some days you're the. bug

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving .

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

Introduction to Blogging

Welcome to my Blog! Getting into blogging has been something I've been encouraged to and have been wanting to do for some time now. Being a self-employed single mom chasing after a 6 year old, somethings stay on the To Do List for longer than I would like! In any case, I'm ready to begin blogging! Yay!

So, now what to blog about? I tried to think of a good title or direction for my blog - especially given that I'm not really sure which direction this blog will take. I had a lot of topics to choose from that I could certainly ramble on and on about... lets explore some ideas - it will serve as an introduction to some of the multi-facets of my world...

My main business is Handmade Natural Beauty, a bath and body company. I make, market and sell natural bath and body products including soaps, lotions, lip balms, bath salts and much more. So I could offer natural beauty tips, relaxation, aromatherapy methods, etc.

I'm also a graphic designer/marketing professional and run a small marketing/design service called Direct Design Solutions. I could offer topics on the importance of branding, finding a good designer/printer, and more.

I have a background in modeling, attending the John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center as a teenager, worked with photographers to create my portfolio, was listed with agencies and did some work. This mainly led to a strong love of the field, working on projects with a friend who owns a modeling agency and starting a fashion photography service. This small biz I launched and ran when I was in college earning my minor in Photography. I only recently resurrected it, Model Image Talent. There are a whole range of topics I could contribute on this topic... how to break into modeling, choosing a photographer, how to get listed with an agency, types of photos for your portfolio, etc.

I also spent years in the corporate world before venturing out to do my own thing. I could certainly come up with an array of topics. This may turn bitter though, so maybe we should not go there, lol. Maybe more the differences of being your own boss, working from home, prioritizing, maintaining focus, etc.

Then there is my personal life - raising my son on my own, the challenges and joys of single parenthood, dating and relationships, specifically online dating which is a world of its own let me tell you! Well, I'm not sure how much drama we'll get into, you'll just have to wait and see, lol! You'll be surprised with me, as I enter into this world of blogging and see just where it will take us! Welcome... to the Thoughts and News From Angie's World.