Business unfolds naturally
Crystal Porter has always been interested in soap making. She loves the seemingly endless scent and oil combinations that come with handmade soap, so much so, she was inspired to take a workshop devoted to the craft.
Just before the pandemic hit, the Yarmouth woman signed up for a soap-making class, something she had always wanted to do, and says it soon turned into an obsession.
Porter started by asking around at the local craft store as the owner had had frequent workshops in the past but none were coming up. Then one day, Porter says an advertisement randomly showed up in her feed from another local soap maker, Laura Smith from Thistles and Weeds.
“This really gave me the stepping-stone I needed to delve into a rabbit hole soap journey,” says Porter.
When the pandemic hit, Porter took her knowledge from the workshop and spent much of her time with soap research and experimentations.
Between the workshop, lots of extensive and continuous research, Porter says she has probably crafted hundreds of batches of soap in the last two years.
She did not set out for her soap making to become a business. Instead, she says it is something that just unfolded naturally. Perhaps it was because of the first lockdown, or because she had been slowly collecting necessary supplies for a couple of years without quite realizing what to do with them. Or maybe it was a combination of all these factors.
After creating so much product, Porter says it only made sense to sell it. So, she started posting her soap on Facebook, giving samples to friends and doing mailbox deliveries.
All of this was done under the umbrella of her business called, The Whimsical Soapus, which she operates out of her home.
The name, she says, comes from playing with the word Opus. The word opus, says Porter, can refer to various musical compositions or any artistic work at a large scale.
When she thinks of the word, Porter says she thinks of Mr. Holland’s Opus, a 1995 movie she really enjoyed about a music teacher’s life.
“One day, while thinking about a large assortment of soap scents that I wanted to make, I found myself fixated on that word, and suddenly I realized that it was a great play on words if I turned OP into soap,” explains Porter.
Since she has grand plans for many scents and formulas she wants to explore, she found the word well-suited.
Thus, The Whimsical Soapus was born.
Making flavour combinations is something that she is well versed in doing. By day, Porter works as a barista, and she is constantly mixing a lot of different flavours, and sometimes the scents of those flavours are inspiring.
She also spends a lot of time in her garden and the outdoors when she is not working. The smells found in nature drive certain scent combinations.
Smells and flavours are always on her mind. She says she sometimes thinks of certain combinations while lying in bed just before falling asleep or just as she is waking up.
Porter creates her soap and does so for many different skin types using these inspirations. Some are made with natural clays and only essential oils; some are made with phthalate-free fragrance oils and others contain natural micas for the exfoliating soaps.
Most of her soaps are vegan, although she occasionally has a few made with tallow or some luxury butters and oils.
Porter says she doesn’t have a favourite soap to make.
“I suppose any new scent could be considered a favourite because there is a sense of discovery with what is new, and I appreciate that,” she says, noting every new scent created offers a learning experience.
That isn’t to say she doesn’t have favourite scents, but scent is such a personal thing. It invokes memories and emotions and what one person loves, another might despise.
“I have actually witnessed a person smell a fragrance and cry because something surfaced in that moment, and they were not prepared for it. It is such a powerful thing."
Porter says she had some soaps purchased by a customer for Christmas 2020 that were shipped as a part of a gift package for someone in Mexico.
“It is really cool to think of someone in another country using something that I made."
Besides soap, Porter makes soy candles and soy wax melts. Closer to the holiday season, she also carries lip balms and foot and bath soaks. When in stock, Porter sells some of her art prints.
Porter supposes she has always been crafty, or at least artistic. Aside from making products, she is also a novice painter, singer/songwriter, and videographer.
There is nothing in the business Porter says is particularly challenging, aside from bookkeeping. However, there are tasks she says are particularly time-consuming, such as wrapping soaps and preparing for craft shows.
“Everything takes time and time is a precious commodity,” she says, noting it takes a lot of time management when working full time and operating a small business.
The Whimsical Soapus recently opened an online store which Porter is hoping to grow. She would also love to see her soaps available in more stores and gift shops throughout the province. Her soaps are also featured on consignment at a few local establishments, including the Perky Owl in Yarmouth.