Heavenly Soap products still cleaning up five years later later

For the past five years, Heavenly Soap owner Patti Gibbons has been "cleaning up Monroe one bar of soap at a time,GÇ¥ and is inviting the community to celebrate the milestone.

Gibbons will host a five-year anniversary event at her shop 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 22, that includes cake, baked goods from the Sky River Bakery and a gift-basket giveaway to the person who can correctly guess how many bars of soap she sold in 2015. Located inside the Savoy Building at 115 W. Main Street, the entrance to Heavenly Soap is on North Blakeley Street across from the Monroe Post Office.

Gibbons specializes in hand-made soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotion, lip balm, salves and even laundry soap, all crafted with natural, hypoallergenic ingredients. Walking in the door at Heavenly Soap, customers are immediately greeted with the mingling aroma of Gibbons' soaps of the day, including such fragrances as green apple, lemongrass and spearmint, coconut lime and honeysuckle.

The beauty of her products is their simplicity, Gibbons said.-á

"The soap is special because it's basic, old-fashioned lye soap,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. "There's no colorings or chemicals in anything I make.GÇ¥

The soaps are enhanced with different scented oils or natural ingredients like carrot juice, which she uses to create her popular soap, "The Carrots Have It.GÇ¥ Oatmeal creates texture in "Milk, Honey & Oatmeal,GÇ¥ and her "Sea SaltGÇ¥ soap contains Dead Sea Salts, which are known to heal and soothe dry skin and rejuvenate sore muscles.

Her shampoo bars are innovative, convenient and one of her best-selling products. They resemble bars of soap but are slightly larger, and customers will recognize every single ingredient used to make them.

"Probably 80 to 90 percent of the people who buy them will come back for more,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. "They're great for camping in the summer.GÇ¥

They're also great for anyone who travels, she said. Rather than try and accommodate carry-on liquid restrictions, travelers can just cut off a wedge of shampoo bar, throw it in their bags and go.

Gibbons' positive customer reviews on social media speak for themselves.

"I just love Heavenly Soap! Our family can't live without it. It is such high quality soap for your skin, and I enjoy all the different scents she makes,GÇ¥ wrote customer Kari Gjolmesli.

Gibbons' journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur has been transformative, and not without challenges. Originally from Bainbridge Island, Gibbons struggled with alcoholism, and for around 30 years was propelled along a dismal trajectory that included loss, legal ramifications and other addiction-related backlash.

Eventually, she did what is often considered the most difficult thing for any addict or alcoholic to do; she sought help. In 2003, at the age of 43, she entered into a faith-based residential rehabilitation program called Teen Challenge and stayed there for 16 months.

"I was a hard cookie to crack,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. "I was drinking about a fifth of vodka a day.GÇ¥

Once she completed the program and got some sobriety under her belt, Gibbons decided she needed to find something to do.

"I bought a book about cheese-making and a book about making soap, and I decided to make soap,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. "That was about 11 years ago.GÇ¥

The soap-making began as a hobby, but eventually her creations started to take over her residence. She began looking for a place to open her own store, hopeful she would be able to find an affordable retail location in an area where she could live close by. She hit pay-dirt in Monroe, which offered picturesque surroundings and a small-town environment that appealed to her.

Gibbons moved into the Savoy Building in October 2010, and opened her shop in a small suite on the second floor. She outgrew that space in six months, so she asked her landlord if there was anything larger. She moved to her current location in April 2011 and has cultivated a successful business model that blends online sales, walk-in customers and farmers markets.

In addition to being a Savoy Building resident and business owner, she is also the building manager.

She chose the name Heavenly Soap to represent her journey. -á -á -á

"I named my business Heavenly Soap because I believe that this is a gift from God,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. "I just kept walking through the doors that he's opened for me.GÇ¥

Gibbons has developed a robust network of online customers, shipping her products to all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and recently implemented a new soap storage system using industrial baking racks she hopes will help remedy current space constraints. She now has the capacity to store an additional 1,000 bars of soap, which will come in handy during the busy summer season.

"This is the perfect place for me being across the street from the post office,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. "This is my home and I don't have any desire to go anyplace else.GÇ¥

Gibbons stays involved in the Monroe community and is continuously advocating for other downtown businesses. She ran for a position on the Monroe City Council last year, but lost to incumbent Jason Gamble. She frequently donates her soaps to different organizations in Monroe, including Matthew House, the Monroe Gospel Women's Mission and the East County Senior Center.

Gibbons attributes her success to her ability to adapt her business model. It hasn't always been easy, she said. Her first winter was exceptionally difficult, and foot traffic was minimal at best. She learned to take advantage of every opportunity to make her products accessible, from holiday bazaars to outdoor markets to social media.-á -á -á

"You have to hang in there and you have to get your name out there,GÇ¥ Gibbons said.

Gibbons believes in the power of social media and uses it frequently to promote her own business and other businesses in downtown Monroe.-á

The gift-basket she plans to give away during her five-year anniversary is filled with her own handmade natural products, plus items donated by several local businesses, including Camp 1923, Big Daddy John's, Main Street Books, Main Street Caf+¬, Glo Massage Therapy and Real Deals on Home D+¬cor.

"I'm just excited to be here and share all this stuff with everybody,GÇ¥ Gibbons said. -á -á

Gibbons said her favorite part of owning Heavenly Soap is her customers. She loves hearing success stories from people who started using her products and noticed improvements in their skin.

For more information about Heavenly Soap, visit soapbypatti.com. To keep up with Gibbons during her summer season, "likeGÇ¥ her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Heavenlysoapmonroe.