Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Hi Everyone,
My name's Teresa, I'm based in Kent and I've been making soap and bath products for nearly 3 years. at the moment I'm weighing up the pros and cons of opening up a shop so any advice or input would be greatly appreciated!!
Look forward to getting involved with the forum
kind regards
Teresa ;D 

Hello Teresa, welcome.

Loads of soapy people here - a few have opened shops (but they must be busy 'cos we don't see them very often).

If you want to try out new products (away from friends and family) there's the Guinea Pig board or the next Soap for Hallowe'en.

It's a good forum for bouncing ideas around - and there's a lot of info in the past topics.

Hello Teresa, how exciting!
Welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy it here.
Look forward to seeing you around  ;D

Hi Teresa,

A very warm welcome to the forum.  So glad you have joined us.  Keep posting Teresa as there are more boards that you can't see right now but the more you post, the more will open up to you  :)

Look forward to chatting with you!!

Hi Teresa

that sounds exciting. I have been toying with the idea myself, but the fact that I would need to employ staff and all the hassle with that made me put it on the "maybe one day"-shelf.

I am not far from Kent myself, whereabouts are you based ?

Cheers
Sabine

Hi Theresa and welcome. I am sure you will love it here :)

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome, I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time on this site :)
kind regards
Teresa

Hi Sabine,
I'm in Medway but the shop I've got my eye on is on the coast
T

Welcome Teresa!

Hi & welcome.
Just remember with a shop that someone has to run it while you are making the products.
Good luck if you decide to go through with it.

Yes, I did consider staffing but luckily my family are keen to help out.....well for the time being anyway

Hi Teresa,
Welcome and good luck with it all!
Scott

Actually, it could be quite novel both working and producing in the shop where everyone can see.  Could be quite a tourist attraction if you plan it right  :)  You know, like those places you visit where you can see the things being created and also buy (in fact, you are compelled to buy sometimes when you see the work thats gone into them).  That way you could both be in production and man the shop (although sods law will have it that you are mixing and can't stop just when someone wants to buy something  :mwaha:)

Sounds like a good idea in theory Helen, but the Safety Elf might get a bit uppety about lye and the general public.  They would have to be kept well away from each other.

Great idea Helen!

One could have a glass wall or big windows between production area and store. Then all can watch without any risks.

That's my dream to have a shop with a workshop at the back. There's a wee shop in the village which is up for let but at the moment it's not the right time and the location is not great. But how lovely it would be to reclaim my kitchen/spare room/loft and have a "normal" house again  ;)
I have thought about advertising in the local paper for an outhouse/workshop in the village but not done anything about it yet.

I must confess that the general idea was to make and be open to the public at the same time, I'd have to talk to TS to get their view on lye and soaping in public

There'll have to be a barrier (not necessarily glass) and you'd have to be a specific distance from the barrier - lye or no lye that would apply re hot surfaces and liquids being moved in pans etc.

FAB idea...LOVE IT!! ;D AND welcome to Fresholi!! :mwaha:

Slicing of soaps, and blending of products etc. would be fine, but handling lye etc. is best avoided. A bespoke product service (non-soap) where you formulate for the client there and then could be poplular - e.g.,  a specific blend of essential oils added to a ready made base to suit the client's needs (after consulatation).

Thinking further - such a shop could well not need to open at 9.00am, giving you time to get past the lye stage before the doors are open to Joe Public.

However it's possible that you'd have to have something like a fire safe lockable metal cupboard in which to store the lye and a rear fire exit for whoever is in the workshop area (small shops don't necessarily need a separate fire exit - depends on the walking distance to the door onto the street) and it would be advisable to get a Fire Officer in to advise before anyone else. (Planning permission would be needed if the premises are currently a shop without a workshop).

Thank you everyone for your input. You've brought up some interesting points, some that I'd thought of and some that I definitely haven't. I was thinking of doing the CP before opening and doing the 'prettying up' once opened and I'd thought about the firesafe box but not about the rear fire exit (although the unit does have one)
many thanks from Teresa who is now late for work!!!

Hello Teresa, you are welcome, i like shops like that and dream of  having one myself too one day in the sun. you probably might  be able to decipher this Abr. i did a workshop with Pf last year and she was still in her premises she'd been in for years, it wasn't a huge place but she had the shop on one side and her workshop to the back, it wasn't tucked away and i agree it's such a novelty idea, i for one would buy and buy non stop in such a place. of course there is all the headache that goes with the logistics of running such a place but  it all seems so ideal and fulfilling to me.

Hi chica,

I did a course at Pf too and I agree, her premises were good and if I was half as successful as her I'd be a very happy lady
kind regards
Teresa

Hi Theresa
Welcome and hello!!! From Somerset, many miles and yet just a keyboard away.......

Deborah

 :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: Hi Teresa.

hi you will love it here lots of info and lovely people  :)