Holy Moly we made it through 2020. Congrats. I don't need go into what a tough year it was. You lived it. I'm proud of you. Nice work, friend.
Despite all the crud of 2020, The Oakley Soap Co. and awesome customers like you were what got me through the year. For The OSC, this year as been phenomenal and I am still processing everything that has happened.
In March I was panicking. The Oakley Soap Co survived on in-person events. My spring and summer calendar went from filled to totally empty over the course of two weeks. I was concerned the business wouldn't survive. In a time where everyone's finances were in jeopardy, would people still spend money on handcrafted soap? What about my other small business friends? Would they make it? How would we do this without our local events?
Damn. Y'all came through for small business.
Thank you for seeing the value in supporting small businesses. Thank you for understanding that the money spent at a local business goes back into the community and helps pay for groceries and put kids through school. Thank you for participating in virtual markets and for consciously choosing to shop small over the holidays. I am humbled and honored.
Some cool things that happened in 2020:
- Sales of Born this Way and the special Transform raised $720.50 for Transform.
- Ew, David soap was introduced and twice sold out on the day bars were released.
-The Oakley Soap Co was discussed on self-care podcast Forever35
- Cincinnati Magazine featured The OSC as place to buy local soap during the pandemic
-Spectrum News Ohio did a feature on OSC, giving us our first TV exposure
- The Oakley Soap Co is can now be purchased at Fitness Physiques with Nico G, Fit Philosophie, The Collective, My Mindful Market store, Messy Bun Mantras and Gloss Salon.
What to look forward to in 2021:
-Shampoo Bars. It might not be until the end of the year, but I will finally perfect and start selling shampoo bars.
-New Packaging. I got started on this huge project and then the pandemic hit and I was suddenly paralyzed with fear. But 2021 will be my year. I can feel it.
-A new space? Maybe? I'm outgrowing my current nook of the basement so I am tentatively looking into a new studio space. No retail store but maybe I'll throw a few open houses!
I can't wait to see what 2021 brings. Here's hoping your year is filled with vaccines, safe hugs and happiness.