On the right side of Campbell headed towards downtown Springfield, there is a shop that nearly blends in with the rest. I found it while riding the bus to my art class and boy I am so glad that I did.
The sign said, "SOAP Refill Shop" and that made me a bit curious which is what started my investigation. Upon an Instagram search, I found out that it is just what it said, a soap refill shop. There was more to it though.
Not only was it a place to just refill your soaps but it is also a place that you can go to get a few essential green products. I had stalked this shop for a few weeks before I got the courage to actually go.
What made me go was not my own accord. I actually wound up going because of a school project; my management class needed an interview with a local manager.
I decided to go there because I figured that a small shop would be easier to contact than trying to interview a manager from Target... I also thought it would give me an excuse to go. I wound up going one afternoon after my art class which made for a pretty cool day.
Upon walking in, the luscious smells of Lord knows what hit me and I would have been content being there for the rest of the day. The atmosphere was amazing, close to that of my favorite coffee shop but without all the espresso.
When I arrived, the manager Anne was helping a customer so I was so graciously entertained by the customers three kids. It was so funny to see these kids running around this shop and talking to me like they had known me forever.
The littlest girl even grabbed my phone and walked around with it while she looked through my pictures. I waited for about an hour to get to the interview because the shop was pretty buzzing. I did like that I had to wait though. It gave me a chance to see Anne at work.
The shop was filled with so many containers of soaps, lotions, and various other things. In the far back right corner, there is an essential oils bar where Anne was able to mix up lotions and face scrubs.
It was so cool to see that not only did she supply the items needed to refill but also the supplies so that she could mix her own items and add so many scents to make everything your very own.
At SOAP there were so many different containers that you could not only buy from there but also containers that the public cleans and brings in to use as well. This shop had a table of additional green products that I had to use my greatest restraint to not buy one of each. I was able to bear witness to the wool dryer balls that had made me want to go in the first place.
These dryers balls are used as an alternative to dryer sheets because they are more eco-friendly. There were also bamboo toothbrushes which are biodegradable, bath bombs, loofahs, and so that you can buy by the slice.
Once I got to speak with Anne I got to learn why she decided to create this awesome shop. I found out that this was a business model that she took from her previous job at a similar shop in California.
I also found out that part of the reason that she started this as well was because she was allergic to some ingredients that were found in the more mainstream products.
All of the items in her shop are natural and green so they are safe for people with allergies. Something else that was interesting which was that everything was pretty cheap. It did not cost a lot to buy anything in there which made me even more inclined to come back.
Anne shared with me that someone buying a bottle of laundry detergent is not the end of the world but that plastic will be around a very long time which is not good.
On the other hand, if you go to a soap refill place, you would be able to get detergent that is green and not in a container that will go straight into the ground when you're done. Long story short, I encourage you all to go find a local refill shop and get something.
Not only will you be supporting local businesses but you will also be helping the planet. I know that just one thing is not going to change the world but that will be one thing that will not be polluting the planet. Also, did you notice what "Save Our Ailing Planet" stood for? It is the name of the shop in California that Anne worked in and it is also an acronym for SOAP.
