I left that job after a few years and my husband and I opened a small home goods store selling housewares, custom furniture, and vintage items. It was a little scary, as I was still paying off my student loans, but for better or worse I wanted to be my own boss.
For my birthday that year, I was given a book on how to make soap. The pictures were beautiful but the recipes were terrible and that first batch of soap had the texture of a sponge. It was disappointing, but the scientist in me was determined to figure out what went wrong. It reminded me of how much I enjoyed working in the lab.
Back in 2006, the internet wasn’t as good as it is today but I found a great soapmaking forum that answered a ton of my questions. My next batch was a success and I had found my new obsession.
Soapmaking is a wonderful blend of art and science. I make my soaps based on the same principles people have used to make soap for thousands of years: mixing oils, lye (sodium hydroxide) and water. Fortunately, I don’t have to boil the soap for days like early soapmakers did. Today’s refined lye makes the process faster and more exact.
Once I make this base, I can add colours, scents, or botanicals to create a wide range of soaps. This is where the art comes in. Natural soaps don’t have to be boring and I like to add colours, textures, and designs to my creations.
Our family loves the outdoors, and living in Qualicum Beach provides no shortage of inspiration. I grew up swimming at four poles on the waterfront with the fabulous view of the coastal mountains.
Using the local scenery as inspiration, I created a few soaps that have mountain silhouettes hidden within them, only revealed when they are sliced. To do this, I shape the layers of soap batter into peaks as it sets and the end result is bars with a single mountain or a multi-peaked range like the coastal mountains.
The first chapter of my soapmaking business was spent honing my craft and creating a few of my own recipes. After our boys went to bed, I made soap in our kitchen. If you came to our home in those days, you probably left with a bag of free soap and an eager request for feedback. Eventually, I started to sell my soaps seasonally in our store and a few local markets.
By 2018 I had expanded my product line to include bath salts and soy candles. We sold our store, and I decided to create Rosco Emmit Body & Home, making it my full-time job. My husband built me a studio so I would have the freedom to work from home while our boys were still in school; their middle names are Rosco and Emmit. I love their middle names and don’t get to hear them enough, so the company name was born.
“Careers don’t always follow a linear path, sometimes they’re in chapters, and it takes a few before you find the one that fits”
Being a mother of two boys, we use a lot of soap. They help me test new products and have an opinion on everything. I joke that their inheritance is going to be a recipe book and they joke that they’re going to sell it.
I set up a website and social media to sell both retail and wholesale, learning a host of new skills in the process. That first summer my products were in five stores and now they are on the shelves of over 80. These days my business is primarily wholesale to small businesses all over Canada, from Vancouver Island to Ontario.
I never thought I would be an entrepreneur, but this path has served me well. I used to wonder if my university education was wasted, but over the years I’ve come to see that it gave me the confidence to pursue the things that interested me. Careers don’t always follow a linear path, sometimes they’re in chapters, and it takes a few before you find the one that fits.
You can find Rosco Emmit products at Covet Boutique and Pharmasave in Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay Cafe, and Coast & Cottage in Parksville.
