In early 2013, owner of Soapy Gnome Jennifer Frech, age 43, started a legacy by taking her soaps and other products to the Goshen Farmers’ Market. Since then, Soapy Gnome has grown into a full fledged small business. “I was working as a teacher and as everyone knows, working as a teacher is very difficult, especially in these days,” says Frech. “So I quit teaching, and I was working at Notre Dame and I was making soap as a hobby. There’s only so much soap a person can use, so my husband said ‘Why don’t you sell it at the Farmer’s Market?’ So we tried it out and we had some customers early on and it’s grown very slowly over the last four and a half years. Slowly but surely.” Soapy Gnome is far from Frech’s first business venture.
…show more content…
So my brand, Soapy Gnome, is all about being cozy,” says Frech. “So we’re not a beauty brand, we just want people to feel great in their own skin. So, in addition to soaps and sugar scrubs and lip balms and things like that, we also sell Turkish towels, loose leaf teas, shaving supplies, jewelry, essential oils and diffusers, and cozy t-shirts. And in the winter, we sell cozy socks, and all year long we sell funny socks.” Since Soapy Gnome’s establishment, the business has gone out of its way to help the community. “We have done fundraisers with schools,” says Frech. “We’ve worked with Chandler, we’ve worked with Relay for Life, we’ve done fundraisers for ADEC, and for the Elkhart County Parks, and we collaborate with local businesses which is also fun. I volunteer for ADEC and have some giveback soaps with them. We also donate to the Window. But my goal is to provide a really fun, safe place for people to shop and to provide good jobs for the people who work for me.” For those who do not know, Relay for Life is a walk for cancer awareness and research. ADEC is an organization dedicated to helping people with physical, developmental, and mental disabilities and other people deemed “unhireable” support themselves through
So my brand, Soapy Gnome, is all about being cozy,” says Frech. “So we’re not a beauty brand, we just want people to feel great in their own skin. So, in addition to soaps and sugar scrubs and lip balms and things like that, we also sell Turkish towels, loose leaf teas, shaving supplies, jewelry, essential oils and diffusers, and cozy t-shirts. And in the winter, we sell cozy socks, and all year long we sell funny socks.” Since Soapy Gnome’s establishment, the business has gone out of its way to help the community. “We have done fundraisers with schools,” says Frech. “We’ve worked with Chandler, we’ve worked with Relay for Life, we’ve done fundraisers for ADEC, and for the Elkhart County Parks, and we collaborate with local businesses which is also fun. I volunteer for ADEC and have some giveback soaps with them. We also donate to the Window. But my goal is to provide a really fun, safe place for people to shop and to provide good jobs for the people who work for me.” For those who do not know, Relay for Life is a walk for cancer awareness and research. ADEC is an organization dedicated to helping people with physical, developmental, and mental disabilities and other people deemed “unhireable” support themselves through