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Glynne's Soaps

It all started on September 26th with Aunt Kerry's Pet Stop's 3 year anniversary party. The day started out with some light rain, but that didn’t deter many of the vendors or guests from showing up to the parking lot at Aunt Kerry’s. There were various vendors there, including Monty’s Home, Port City Candles, Cape Fear Golden Retriever Rescue,
Carolina Boxer Rescue, NC Rottweiler Rescue, CAT, DogWatch, and Saving Animals During Disasters.

In the early afternoon, the rains came. We moved deep under the tents and had a great time chatting with others who braved the storm. All in all it was a great time, even with the less than perfect weather. Thanks Aunt Kerry for having us and for providing a wonderful place to buy pet supplies and be treated like family! If you haven’t stopped in at Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop yet, you really should. It’s on the corner of 17th extension and College Rd in Wilmington.

The next weekend (Oct 2nd-3rd) was Riverfest. This is a huge fall festival in downtown Wilmington. They estimate that there were over 100,000 people who walked down Water St. checking out all the vendors. We had a prime location, right on the corner and we set up along with Jackie from Port City Candles. After a few revisions to our booth set up, we just enjoyed the GREAT weather and spoke with a lot of wonderful people.

People we knew stopped by, people we didn’t know stopped by, and we just had fun chatting with everyone (and selling soap). We were able to educate people on the need to stop using chemical flea treatments on their dogs (and cats), and on the importance of using soap for themselves that was free from all the nasty chemicals and preservatives.

On Saturday, Gayle was interviewed for an article in the Wilmington Star News. On Sunday a lady stopped by with her son because they wanted to meet us. Turns out, her son had to do a current event for school and he chose our article as the basis for his current event. It was great fun to meet them and good to see education in action.

We had a wonderful time at both events and are looking forward to 3 more festivals in the coming weeks. Come out and see us:

Hanover Kennel Club Dog Show, Legion Stadium in Wilmington – October 10th-11th
Salty Paws, Carolina Beach Lake Park – October 17th
Dog Fest, Empie Park, Wilmington – October 24th (This festival marks our one year anniversary! Come share the fun with us.)

Significant greenhouse gas emission. Deforestation in tropical areas accounts for 1/3 of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Destruction of the habitats of many endangered species including the Sumatran Orangutan, Sumatran Tiger and African Rhinoceros. With their habitat destroyed, these animals will suffer extinction.

Removal of the natural growth leads to loss of homes, farmland, degradation of food and water supplies and untold other environmental effects.

Because of these concerns, we have decided not to make palm oil an ingredient of our soaps. The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil is beginning to certify certain palm oil producers as sustainable. Because this is a new system, it is not certain which suppliers are truly using sustainable palm oil. Until the certification process is less confusing, we will continue to stay away from palm oil.
What can you do? There are many things that individuals can do to help increase companies use of sustainable palm oil and to help ensure that the sustainable certification is authentic. Palm oil is used in many food products as well as beauty products. Write to the companies that make these products and insist that they use certified sustainable palm oil. Discontinue using any products that contain palm oil. Let all your friends and family know the destruction that is being caused by the increasing demand for palm oil. Every little bit helps.
Watch this short video about an orangutan that befriends a dog. It's very cute, and has a great message!

I'd love to hear your comments about the environmental impact of the increased use of palm oil.
Keep it clean!
Jenn

I always thought it was funny that Labor Day was a vacation day. Seems to me, it should be a day for labor. The Glynne’s Soaps staff has decided to make today a planning day. I’m excited to be brainstorming new ideas for the company. I have some good ones, like more lunches for the Sales Manager, but can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks. Be on the lookout for these new developments.

Tomorrow we will be on the road again, and I’m going to get to ride the ferry. We are delivering Front Street Brewery beer soaps to Lantana’s Gallery and Fine Gifts in Southport, NC. The next time you are in Southport, you need to check them out. Aside for being a terrific gift shop, they highlight the arts and crafts of many local artists.

While in Southport, we will also check in at Cool Dogs and Crazy Cats. They carry our dog soaps and are very nice people. We love to stop and chat and I love the stores that I can go in and browse.

I picked up a copy of Dog Living Magazine a few days ago, and was thrilled to see the article about regional pet businesses. Of course, Glynne’s Soaps was a part, but there were many other businesses that were in the article as well. I think it’s important to support local businesses as much as possible. Grab your own copy of Dog Living Magazine and check it out!

Until next time, keep it clean!

Wrigley
Sales Manager

PS you can tweet me or just follow my adventures on twitter @wrigleysoapguru

During our long drive to Charlotte via Spartanburg, Jenn and I took the time to discuss what soaps we would like to make for the fall. As is popular with game shows these days, we decided to poll the audience. We sent out a twitter message asking for fall scent suggestions. We received many responses, Thanks twitterverse! We will definitely be making a pumpkin soap (maybe pumpkin spice or punkin pie) and a gingerbread scent for fall. We got several suggestions for an apple or apple cider scent, and we will be researching & working to try to accommodate that scent. One thing I have learned since we have been making soaps is that it is not always easy to create a scent you want and keep the product all-natural. And here at Glynne’s Soaps we are committed to All Natural Soaps.

We hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing Labor Day Weekend! Be safe.

Want to be a part of our studio audience? Follow us on twitter (www.twitter.com/glynnesoaps)

Gayle

We made a test batch, and it was a very nice soap with a great smell. When talking with Jason, we discussed that maybe adding an essential oil to the soap could enhance the peachiness of it. After much back and forth with our apothecary, Eva, at Down to Earth Oils in downtown Wilmington, we decided on a mix of orange and clove essential oils. Let me tell you, it truly did what we were hoping for, the soap does smell like peaches with a hint of clove. It smells wonderful. We will be hand delivering the first batch to RJ Rockers tomorrow because we were fortunate to get tickets to the Panthers/Steelers pre-season game. I'm sure there will be some "smack talk" between the two of us on the way, since Gayle is a big Panthers fan and I will always pull for the Steelers.

RJ Rockers became Spartanburg’s first brewery in 1997. They have a long standing tradition of producing high quality brews by hand. In fact, their slogan is “HANDCRAFTED. EVERY BEER. EVERY DROP. EVERY TIME.” They no longer have a brew pub, but the beer can be purchased in locations throughout South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, DC, and Maryland. The folks there are terrific people! If you ever find yourself near Spartanburg SC find out about taking a tour of the brewery. For your reading pleasure, you can also check out blogs written by some of the employees.

You might be asking yourself, why beer in soap? Aside from the novelty of it; the ability to take your favorite beer home in a different form, there are some “skin healthy” qualities to using soap made with beer. Since beer is made from different grains, the mineral rich qualities of these grains are transferred to your skin, giving it a healthy glow. The hops are full of amino acids that are very softening and soothing to the skin. Many people with sensitive skin, and even eczema and psoriasis love the beer soap for its healing properties. In addition, hops are very relaxing herbs, so using it in the tub or shower can calm and relax your mind as well as your skin.

If you are excited or even intrigued about the Son of a Peach Beer soap, give it a try. It will not disappoint.

Jenn

We were a bit worried while packing up the night before that there would be too much rain for the outdoor event, but by Saturday morning, the skies were clear. It was a great day to take a bath outside. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to take my bath. I was too busy selling soap so others could get clean. By the end of the event I was exhausted. Thankfully I was able to nap on the ride home.

Thank you Dog Club of Wilmington for the great day.

The week ahead is busy too. We will be visiting some new shops that are interested in our soap and also checking in on some established places to see how sales are going. Sounds like the perfect job for the sales manager. Hopefully I’ll get to meet lots of folks while I’m out. And I’m sure there will be a trip to Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop, which means I’ll get to visit my friends Roxy and Leo.

The other totally fun thing that happened on Saturday was that I signed up to take some Agility Classes. I’m sure I’ll be talking about what I’m learning, so stay tuned. In the mean time, don’t forget to get some soap for yourself and your pup on our website

Don’t forget, you can e-mail me anytime at Wrigley@glynnesoaps.com

Wrigley
Sales Manager

Approximately 85% of all women have some cellulite on their bodies; that lumpy, bumpy, cottage cheese look just under the skin. It occurs more frequently in older women or larger women, but even those with low body fat can usually find some cellulite. Dr Ava Shamban, who owns the Laser Institute for Dermatology and European Skin Care in Santa Monica, Calif., states that cellulite "is a structural problem. It's not only the fat, but it has to do with the connective tissue. The connective tissue acts as a mesh to keep the fat close to the legs, which happens for men, but not so well for women. So, in women, sometimes this connective mesh opens up and the fat bulges out. That gives you the cellulite." (http://www.cbsnews.com “Caffeine is Latest Cellulite Weapon”)

The theory behind the benefit of caffeine is that it will increase your metabolism, which will reduce fat. The caffeine also will reduce some of the swelling or edema of the fat cells by drawing out water, making your skin smoother.

Other reports suggest that the benefits of the caffeine in soaps or creams can be enhanced by massaging and rubbing the needed areas. This breaks up the fat cells and decreases the lumps and bumps even faster. Our Java Scrub soap contains real coffee grounds which, aside from being exfoliating, can aid in this massaging process.

Still one more benefit of the Java Scrub lies again with its caffeine content. Just like drinking a cup of coffee, showering with coffee soap gives you that morning pick me up. Inhaling that great coffee scent will help wake you up in the morning and also can provide the afternoon boost without having to drink a cup of coffee.

So, head on over to www.glynnesoaps.com and pick up some coffee soap for you and all your friends. It’s benefits are far reaching.

Jenn
soapmaker@glynnesoaps.com