Limited Edition Scents to Stave off the Seven Year Itch

Even though I love what I do, it gets tedious at times.  Cutting soap, wrapping soap, printing labels, packing boxes... even making the products themselves has become routine.  Still, at nearly five years in business, this is the longest relationship I've had with any job, and to keep us from going through the "seven year itch" that tests so many couples, I try to keep things fresh.

One of the ways I do that is by creating limited edition fragrances.  It started when a young girl and her mom visited our table at Pike Place Market one day.  The girl shyly whispered something to her mom, who gently nudged her ahead and said, "Tell him," referring to Scott, who was working the booth that day.  "Well," the girl said softly, "I see that a lot of your scents are things from around the Northwest.  You should have a soap that smells like wine."  That, honestly, is the best idea anyone has ever offered us, and to think, it came from a girl no more than 11 years old!

My tried and true fragrances take up the majority of our twelve square feet of display space at the market, so I decided to make it for a limited time.  Fall was coming, so Autumn Vineyard, a beautiful blend of berries and merlot, became my first seasonal scent.  Since then, I have featured a unique fragrance each season, making coordinating soaps and skin smoothies, with lip smoothies when possible (not every fragrance can be used on the lips).

Last spring I held a contest soliciting ideas for a summer fragrance.  I was amazed by the number of creative entries - everything from Lemonade and Honeysuckle to Bratwurst and Dog Poo in the Park (tongue-in-cheek, of course!).  One of our longtime customers remembered our first skin smoothies, which were hyacinth scented, and suggested I revive the fragrance.  I had discontinued it in favor of more popular varieties, but had always liked that scent.  I came up with Summer Bouquet, a floral fragrance that features hyacinth with just a touch of rose.  It was a big success, so I am bringing it back this year.  You can almost feel the warm sunshine on the blossoms as you smell it.

Stop by the market or visit us online and order now.  Summer Bouquet is available in soap, Skin Smoothie, and gift sets, where it is paired with other flowers and fruits.  Summer won't last forever, and neither will Summer Bouquet!