Hello Friends
It is with mixed emotions that I announce that Soapy Gnome is downsizing this spring which includes closing our retail location at the end of March. Our online shop WILL remain active and current after March 31.
While there are dozens of reasons that I love going to work each day, there are an equal number of reasons that have added up to my decision to scale back the business—most notably—sales are down and I’m burned out.
I know that this is really sad news. It’s sad for the Soapy Gnome team too. I told my team on Friday and gave them the weekend to digest it before announcing publicly. They all have jobs through closing and some may help with craft shows after we close.
We’ve enjoyed growing our business in downtown Goshen over the last 12 years. Soapy Gnome has gone from just me to an incredible group of 10+ part-time employees. Over the years, we’ve had lots of amazing collaborations, brought oodles of products for you to enjoy, created fun jobs for young people and former teachers, been an anchor store downtown, donated to lots of local causes, and of course made so many friends!
What’s our plan moving forward?
January-March
We will continue to sell our soap and body care as normal through the last week in March. We’ll even be getting in some new merchandise.
Watch for a dedicated garage sale corner for our displays, props and window decor that will be refreshed regularly. I will be setting up a couple of destashing events for props, displays, extra body care packaging, soap molds, and candle supplies, etc.
While we'll be adding to the clearance section daily, the big sales will begin after Valentine's Day.
Meanwhile, we’ll be manufacturing as much soap as we can to get us into 2025. We already have scent-of-the-month and seasonal soaps ready to go through June. When I started the business, I made soap in our basement, but hubs and I just downsized into a smaller house near Three Rivers, Michigan, so I’ll need to find a place to rent or buy to make soap and ship from.
April and beyond
After we close, we will move to an online sales and subscription model. I am looking for a collaborating shop in downtown Goshen for subscription pickups. You may also see us at pop-ups and craft shows.
After we close, we will move to an online sales and subscription model. I am looking for a collaborating shop in downtown Goshen for subscription pickups. You may also see us at pop-ups and craft shows.
Would I consider selling the business?
The short answer is maybe. It’s not currently my plan to sell, but I’m open to conversations. If that is something you’re interested in, we can talk. There are many assets including six figures of inventory and materials, a robust and active email list, 100+ proprietary recipes, trademark, and more. In all honesty, it would be best run by a partnership-- one person to focus on business, the other to focus on manufacturing.
The short answer is maybe. It’s not currently my plan to sell, but I’m open to conversations. If that is something you’re interested in, we can talk. There are many assets including six figures of inventory and materials, a robust and active email list, 100+ proprietary recipes, trademark, and more. In all honesty, it would be best run by a partnership-- one person to focus on business, the other to focus on manufacturing.
What can you do to help in our final weeks?
- Sign up for a subscription. We already have soap made for scent-of-the-month for half of 2025. You can also subscribe to some of our everyday soaps.
- Make sure you’re on our email list—even if you find emails annoying. It’s the only reliable communication.
- Fill out your customer profile online. That way we can send postcards via snail mail to keep you in the loop of what’s happening.
- Shop at least one more time (or 12!) before we close.
- Help us find a place to make soap and ship from. I’m looking for a small commercial kitchen type space to rent or buy. 400-800 square feet ought to do it. Somewhere between Three Rivers/Union and Goshen. Prefer Michigan side.
- Help us locate a place for the Young Adult Program to make lip balm from, near Goshen Junior High School. A commercial kitchen would be ideal. Currently we meet on Wednesday mornings from 10-12. This is a group of young folks with diverse abilities that are learning job skills as apprentices.
- If you have a store downtown and would like to be a Soapy Gnome pick up location, get in touch and I’ll choose the best fit for my customers.
- I’ll also be looking for some opportunities for pop up shops inside other stores, or dedicated displays around Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan.
- If you’re an employer looking for some great people, my team is skilled and they will need good paying jobs with kind-hearted coworkers.
- Be gentle with my team. Remember we are all grieving about this change and it can hurt to have to rehash it a dozen times a day. Please don’t hound them for answers about the whys of the close that they may not know. They can answer questions about timeline and administrative type questions.
- Please don’t engage in the rumor mill. Nothing good comes from that. If you have questions about the reasons behind the close, please see me directly.
That’s all for now.
Thank you for allowing Soapy Gnome to be a part of your life! We co-created this together, and I appreciate you so very much! 💜
Jenny
