Video of The Shop

This is an EIGHT minute video of my shop the day after we closed. I took this "silent movie" for myself so that if I ever feel like looking back at it and remembering it, I would have it.

Sadly, my video camera wouldn't hold a charge so I used my mother's FLIP video camera which worked great but has less than stellar high def capabilities. I walked around s-l-o-w-l-y. It's not very interesting and the shelves are pretty empty with products having being sold out, but you get the idea if you ever wanted to see the little shop of Product.

I'm feeling really good, by the way. I feel like the shop closing is a good thing because doors appear to be opening right in front of my eyes. But we'll see.


xo Jo

pssst! As I said, it's long and boring ...it really was for me. Historical documentation.

Emotional Shop Closing

Is has been a very emotional couple of weeks for me since our decision to close the store. Almost everyone that has come into the shop is a repeat customer and, while they are shopping, I've mentioned that we are closing the shop at the end of next week.

Their first reactions are usually worry and sadness.

"Why? What's wrong?" When I let them know I'm o.k., then they immediately say, "Oh no, where am I going to get your soaps, and smell them, and touch them?" ... "I can't go back, Joanna! It's all I use now....."

I love my customers. Apparently, they've gotten hooked on handmade soaps and smelling-before-buying. So I am gathering all of my local customers' names and email addresses and will contact them if I start going to a regular farmer's market or find a monthly location where I can display my soaps.

Today, one of my regular monthly customers came in and chatted me up with political conversation, thoughts on living in other countries, and ideas of a better life before we moved onto a soap chat. He always comes in alone after his shift at the hospital, buys 5 or 6 bars of different soap, talks about the world, his wife and grown up children, and jokes that being physically dirty is the reason he stopped in.

I have really loved my time at the shop for so many reasons, but in this post I want to thank all of the customers that came in because they were curious, dared to try one of my products or soaps, and came back. I loved meeting you. I loved talking to you. I wasn't pretending, except for the crazy guy with the hands like shovels that wouldn't leave the shop.
c r e e p y d u d e.

We are down to our last few days. Today was busy for me with organizing equipment and doing inventory. It wasn't a wildly busy retail day, but I told the customers about the shop and sure enough they scooped up a variety of soaps, fearing they wouldn't be able to smell them for awhile. "Can't live without these, Joanna....." Very sweet story: A 17 year old guy from the fishing shop two doors down came in for his mom "just because she was at home all day doing laundry and stuff and she'd probably like this stuff". Could there be a nicer kid? Dropped over $30 of his own money because he thought his mom was working hard at home. I can only hope my son stops to think like that when he's that age.

My heart has been doing the involuntary tightening twist these days and it's not been easy. The decision was a hard one and it was really sad at first, then brutal and heartbreaking, then it moved towards being realistic and reasonable and now I feel like it is absolutely the right decision and that it will really help me hone in on what I need to focus on with the business and life in general -- for now. The experience was incredible and I'd do it all over again. I have been wearing many hats for many years, but this balancing act was by far the most fun to "endure". Every day was a joy. I looked forward to getting to the shop every single day. There wasn't a day that I stared at the clock so I could go home.

I need to thank every single one of you who walked into the shop over the last fourteen months and changed my life. You know who you are. So.. as part of growth, both personally and professionally, I will hone in, focus, work harder than ever and make magic. This is what I need to do. But I do have you all to thank. You have touched me.

One more week in the shop. I will continue to keep you updated as we go, of course. Shop hours next week will be:

Monday through Friday: Noon - 6 pm for sure.

Saturday and Sunday we will be moving and cleaning (I think). If we can swing being open on Saturday we will be, but I just don't know...

Thank you.

xo

love, Joanna

Vacation Notice

I am giving my notice. ;)

Product Body will not be formulating or shipping any more orders until we start processing orders again on August 11th. So if you haven't placed an order by yesterday, Friday July 31st, you will have to wait until August 11th to have your order processed, formulated and then shipped.

I do hope you understand. I must have a vacation before I fall over. I haven't had one in (I think) two years.... SO! Here I go on a road adventure. Perhaps I'll see you on the way!

Have a wonderful half of August.

this is how I feel now....

this is how I want to feel on my vacation.... =)

Shop on Candid Camera

Thought I'd show part of my workspace.

I have 5 different work stations in this little area. You can see a little of this here, a bit of that there... Oh yes, this is a cruddy mess. After a full day of formulating, making and pouring soap and before clean-up. I DO clean up after every project, but I did have a few going at the same time, so it got crazy AND it was the end of the day.

From the work table in the formulary looking into the retail portion and out the door... (underexposed, sorry).

A Few New Things

We have been so busy in the lab whipping up goodies. My daughter was on Spring break last week and decided instead of vacationing, she wanted to come to work with me every day. She helped make bath bombs, clean up, wrapped and cut soap. She even designed and came up with a fragrance for her Toffee soap which I will post here next week. The soaps we made aren't shown in this post because they aren't cured, but they will be. They include Toffee, Clean Sweet and Ginger + Amber with Star Anise. They all came out very nice. Most of these can be found in the Product Labs Etsy shop by the end of this weekend.

Hot Process Yuzu Maui (with cp yuzu bits)

Sweet Lemon Pie Bath Bombs with calendula petals made and decorated by Nina, my daughter

Hefty half circle bath bombs in Passionfruit Guava (over 5 oz)--- sha shaaaaaa!

All natural lavender soap with rose clay and lavender buds

Bath bomb cupcake

Hot process soap:: Citrus Circus Squares
(tangerine, orange valencia, yuzu, grapefruit, ruby red grapefruit + lemon)

Have a great weekend and happy soaping, slathering or scrubbing! Also, if you are not following me on Twitter, get to it to get the April coupon for Crush On You!!

The Shop Has Been Buzzing

People have been coming into the shop and have been super interested in the soaps we've been making. All of the soaps we carry we make the old fashioned way...with lye and oils and are cured for four weeks. We currently have these in the shop:

Baby Rose Cupcake
Creamsicle Honeymoon
Naked Nellie
Rhubarb Yuzu with avocado and cocoa butters
Fresh Baked Bread with rhassoul clay
Yuzu Maui (hot process)
Pumpkin Spice
Sexy Laundry Day

I have more planned, including goat milk, exfoliating oatmeal and coconut soap.

Some of the soaps in the shop are available on our Etsy shop: Product Body Labworks. That's my soap news for the day.

It Can Happen To You

It's OK To Be A Product Junkie
Product Body

The shop has been opened now for three months and we are still fairly slow, but we are now getting "regulars" and they come often. A lot of our online customers have become addicts and now I see it's happening right here in Jupiter. Women come in to the shop with a sense of urgency, walk over to the shelves nervously twiddling their fingers, looking for their "junkie" product in their favorite scent and when they find it, you can see their body change shape... there is a release of tension and nervous energy as they hold the jar tight.

I keep getting questions like, "this will remain a permanent scent in your line, right?" or "is this soap one of your signature ones? You will always have this available, right? I don't think I can live without it."

I am honored that people like the products and I am doubly thrilled that the soaps are such a big hit here. I can't make some of the soaps fast enough. I am getting soap requests and I am up for the challenge. In the meantime, spas are loving our Creme Fresh and saying their staff AND customers are flipping over it and the jars are flying off the shelves. Again, one of the spa owners (my customer) feels a bit like a drug dealer because people come to her frantic when the spa gets low on inventory. "When are you going to get more?.... I can't run out...."

It's better to be a Product junkie than any other kind of junkie, so yay to that.

Come to the shop if you are close. First sample is free...

Shop. Take Two.

I have totally swiped the idea of the wooden positionable girl with a towel from Kim at Stella Marie. Just for that, I will name her STELLA, and even say it in a hoarse voice, S-T-E-L-L-A-A-A-A.


It was so brilliant that I tried a towel head instead of a mohawk and every few days, I change her towel...make it a toga, or throw it over her shoulder... Kim, you are so original, I hope you are flattered by me copying you and not angry. Now I want a real full sized mannequin and prop her up outside and make her do different poses every day. I am on the lookout for one locally.


Here is a picture of my display case with curing soap loaves: top left, Mango Madness; top right, Dark Chocolate Frosting; bottom left, Hyacinth; bottom right, Coconut Almond with coconut milk.
These are the flowers that Teresa sent me (love her) that are now hanging upside down drying.


Sisal scrub pads. One of the bath extras we carry.


The next three photos are of Amber's clutches (of Amber's Ambry). These are not even all of the ones she made for the shop. Wow oh wow, she is phenomenal. I gave her some vague direction with my idea of some colors and such and she pulled it all together better than I could have dreamed. It's like she knew what I was thinking, because I certainly wasn't able to verbalize what I wanted very well.

I bet we could share a closet. ;)





So there you have it... some more pictures. More will come as they come. I'm not so great with having the right lens at the right time. These were taken with the macro lens so the photo of the display case I was way outside (no zoom) so I couldn't even takes wider pictures for you.

Pictures Of The Shop

looking from the front right to the back door

looking from near the back door to the front (the front door is very dark in this picture. Just under the lit exit sign)

Brad, my husband, and I did all the work except we hired a plumber to install a hot water heater and to run hot water lines for our lab sink. We put in the floor, built cabinets painted, cut moulding, put up shelves.....etc. When I say "we", I really mean Brad. I was really there as the handy assistant who humped my butt off and worked and sweat alongside the master pro. Trust me, I worked like heck. He worked harder.

These two are only half done...

front half (shop)

back half (formulary)

So this is complete:

you could see the formulary in the back (bakery concept, sort of)

Now, these pictures were taken after the first day of retail, so our shelves are looking pretty bare. I will have to post more when the place is packed again with soaps and goodies and when I am not sick anymore.

(sniffle)

These don't feel like they show everything. I'll try to get it all in the next time, but you get the vibe...

A New Home For Us?

Formulary and retail home of Product

Have you heard the news? Product has moved the formulary and is opening a small retail store! Holy COW, we are nervous. I have never had a shop before, or juggled so many things at one time. My head is spinning and I am filled with more emotions that I even knew existed.

Yahoo!

Our new address is:

PRODUCT
633 Alternate A1A
Jupiter, Florida 33477

So if you need to send anything to us or want to stop by (after the 15th), please do. This is now the official Product Body address.

More pictures to come...

Softy Galore + Mini Me Gift Sets

Softy Galore Gift Set

The 007 Of Winter Skin Care

$45 (retails for $62)

Mini Me Gift Set

Worth One MILLION Dollars

$29 (retails for $42)

My husband wrote the copy on these gift sets after I came up with the names.  I absolutely love his sense of humor!  

These gifts at these prices are only available during this holiday season.  Does it get anymore shag-a-delic than this?

Money, Anyone?

We are offering our blog readers and anyone else who gets wind of it $10.00 off your order when you shop with us and spend $50 or more at Product Body Shop. octpromo is the coupon code - Just enter it at checkout. If you've been wanting to try something, now might be the time!

Offer ends November 1st!

Have a great weekend!!