Darren Monette with a selection of soaps that look good enough to eat at the Granville Island Soap Gallery.
Photograph by: Submitted
Name: Darren Monette.
Business: The Granville Island Soap Gallery, Vancouver.
Contact: 604-669-3649, www.thesoapgallery.blogspot.com
Number of employees: Four.
Time in business: Nine months.
How did you get started? Having been a cosmetic manufacturer for the spa-hotel retail trade, I knew that one day I would have my own outlet selling what I most desire in products. And that is soap that looks gorgeous, is locally made and comes from high-quality organic materials . . . often with a bit of humour added into the mix.
What prompted you to start a business? I waited for a particular space to open up on Granville Island for a while and when it came available I jumped at the chance.
What do you like best about having your own business? Running your own business makes every little skill you ever learned valuable and being a jack of all trades helps tremendously. I relied on reused and recycled materials and furniture, low-emission, eco-friendly paint. I did all of the interior design myself and made a game out of shopping for fixtures that I could either make or repurpose.
What has been your biggest success? As we make soap here in the store, we can keep the quality to the highest standards. By trial and error, we found that our bulk products are sought after by people eager to trade in their empty containers for new ones. That sharply reduces overall waste. We have also implemented a recycling program for plastics that is working well.
What lies ahead? Soap-making classes start this spring in the store. We are going to concentrate on making the best products and integrating forward-thinking marketing ideas to create the most efficient business we can.
Business: The Granville Island Soap Gallery, Vancouver.
Contact: 604-669-3649, www.thesoapgallery.blogspot.com
Number of employees: Four.
Time in business: Nine months.
How did you get started? Having been a cosmetic manufacturer for the spa-hotel retail trade, I knew that one day I would have my own outlet selling what I most desire in products. And that is soap that looks gorgeous, is locally made and comes from high-quality organic materials . . . often with a bit of humour added into the mix.
What prompted you to start a business? I waited for a particular space to open up on Granville Island for a while and when it came available I jumped at the chance.
What do you like best about having your own business? Running your own business makes every little skill you ever learned valuable and being a jack of all trades helps tremendously. I relied on reused and recycled materials and furniture, low-emission, eco-friendly paint. I did all of the interior design myself and made a game out of shopping for fixtures that I could either make or repurpose.
What has been your biggest success? As we make soap here in the store, we can keep the quality to the highest standards. By trial and error, we found that our bulk products are sought after by people eager to trade in their empty containers for new ones. That sharply reduces overall waste. We have also implemented a recycling program for plastics that is working well.
What lies ahead? Soap-making classes start this spring in the store. We are going to concentrate on making the best products and integrating forward-thinking marketing ideas to create the most efficient business we can.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/technology/washing+noshing/4277009/story.html#ixzz1DxgXjp2p
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