Tell me how you started in soapmaking.

As a young girl my grandmother Nannie and my Aunt Catherine would make soap the old fashion way and it was the best soap I had ever tried.  After growing up and always having beautiful skin and getting compliments on my skin, I started looking for natural soap to use.  It wasn’t until we bought a home in the Blue Ridge Mountains that I decided I didn’t want to work in the corporate world anymore and I decided to start making my own soap and lotions to use at home.

 How long have you been making soap?

I’ve been making soap now for about 1 year now.

 Tell me about a project or experiment that you consider to be the most successful. It doesn’t have to be soap.

The start up of our company it really is a lot of work to start and be successful with starting a new business.  The late night hours on the computer designing a layout for your website, making soap into the wee hours of the night or early morning, marketing and finding people who are willing to try your product and hoping that your first transaction works or goes through.  Now looking back at the months from August to now 2014 and the success that we have had since opening The Garnet Rose, the first batch of soap and the first sale, I must say starting my own business was a huge project and a successful one at that!

 If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year it’s been for you in soapmaking,  what did you achieve?

Freedom to walk away from the corporate world, to transition from the city life to the Blue Ridge Mountains and to work from home and be successful at doing something that I really love doing!  A Beautiful Feeling!

Do you have a specific goals? In one year? In two years?

In one year I would love to build a lil Soap Building by our creek and move my Soap Lab out of the Kitchen and to also have my soaps in stores in more states than just North Carolina.

If you could wave a magic wand, what ill in the world would you solve and why?

Mental Illness…My father was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia some years ago and it has really made me sad that he cannot do things on his own.  I miss him being able to take charge and be himself.  I’ve always been a Daddy’s girl and I miss the man that he used to be.  So if my wand would work I would be one of the happiest Daddy’s Girl ever!

Tell us about a time when soaping didn’t go the way you wanted. What was your “great catastrophe?

I was about to soap for the first time using goats milk and I took all the steps carefully to make it nice and creamy.  I started pouring the Sodium Hydroxide(Lye) in to the goats milk and stirring and almost to the end there was a little Lye left, the color was still nice white and creamy, I got anxious and poured the last of the lye in and it turned Orange immediately!  I was so sad it was the last of the goats milk to use in this particular soap and I had to change the recipe and start over!  Other than that I haven’t had any major catastrophes!

All soap makers have them so tell me about your worst “lye burn”.

Well I don’t want to start having bad luck but so far, Knock on wood, and the creek don’t rise I haven’t had any lye burns to talk about! Lucky Me!

Do you get a lot of support from your family?

They are so far away from us I can actually say no however my better half Kevin is there to help in anyway he can he would rather do the dishes and clean up so I can get started with the next project we both own the company but it’s me who creates, makes, cuts, package, ship, and even shower with it if I want to!  My children do help with the marketing on Social Media but pretty much do most of the work myself.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Regina King, Whoopi, or Queen Latifah

You’ve cast the main character, now what do you think the title should be?

Why Mama Why

What motivates you and what doesn’t?

Nature and serene surroundings, a gurgling stream or creek and just beauty of the mountains calmness, peace and serenity!

How would your best friend describe you?

A go getter, creative, don’t tolerate non sense and not afraid to speak my mind self motivated! But most of all out going!

What’s the biggest mistake you mistake you made in your life and what did you learn from it?

Not following my own dreams early on in life, it made me a better woman today many hills to climb and left turns to turn around to go right, I’ve had a lot of pain at an early age trusting the wrong people and letting someone so close to me control my life with verbal abuse and demeaning my spirit to a point that my self esteem was completely gone.  That person is gone now and at the age of 47 it was the first time I ever felt…Free!

If you had to give up ONE of your favorite foods, what would it be?

Potatoes, Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Chips anything that has the word Potatoes attached to it!  I’m am a sucker for Potatoes!

Tell me about your soap. What is your brand name and company philosophy.

Our soaps are made from several different oils & butters such as Organic Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter and Unrefined Organic Virgin Shea Butter.  We also use Aloe Vera Oil, Mango Butter and a variation of other oils and butters for the different recipes that we use. We don’t use any chemical, synthetic or lab created fragrances only Certified Essential Oils.  We have also found 2 local dairies that provide us the best goats milk in the Blue Ridge Mountains to make our soaps with.  We have almost 30 different fragrances including Coffee, Beer and wine soaps that are also local to North Carolina and we also make Vegan friendly soaps for our Vegan friends.

A Garnet Rose Luxury is what we offer we have so many testimonials from our new customers on our Facebook and Instagram page.  The Garnet Rose Soap Company wants to provide the most luxurious soaps to our customers for that most intimate time when you need to be pampered.

1) Where can it be found? Are you on Etsy?

Yes just look for us under AGarnetRose on Etsy

We can be found if you are local to West Jefferson, NC in one of the gift shops in town!  We are also on Display at ParkerTie in the Kitchen and Bathroom decorating Store!  We are in the process of contacting The Mast General Store in Boone NC with hopes to have our soaps carried in their stores.  Our line of soaps will be carried in The Bald Guy Brew Coffee shop in Blowing Rock and Valle Crucis this Spring.  With that said we are expanding and if you are visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains, Grandfather Mountain or even West Jefferson you will be able to find The Garnet Rose Soap Company in a Store near you!

Scarlett Creek Home & Garden Gifts
5 North Jefferson Avenue
West Jefferson, NC 28694

www.agarnetrose.com
www.pintrest.com/agarnetrose
www.facebook.com/agarnetrose
www.twitter.com/agarnetrose
www.instagram.com/agarnetrose
http://mkt.com/the-garnet-rose-soap-company-llc

2) What is your most popular soap — — –

We have several that are very popular,  Peppermint Goats Milk and Vegan, Lavender Goats Milk & Vegan, Lemongrass Goats Milk and our Castile Soap I cant keep these soaps on the shelves!