It's Show Weekend!

Meet Sophie Knee from Soap Cubed...
I am Sophie Knee, from SOAP CUBED. I was born in the United Kingdom, and arrived in Ohio in 1988, as a young adult. I have a Fine Arts background and day job, but have been making things all my life. Making stuff was “normal” on both sides of our family; people sewed, knitted, crocheted, built furniture,
baked bread, developed film, and did home canning. One of my grandfathers (a high school teacher during the day) had a hidden talent for cake decorating. Sometimes people make fun of me for doing myself, instead of paying other people to do, but the truth is, when I create, I feel connected to the people
who first taught me how. 

SOAP CUBED happened because I saw a need for gentle, skin safe bath products that also smell great. I prefer natural, vegetable oils, aromatherapy grade essential oils, and botanicals such as lavender flowers, orange zest, and spices.

I started making soap in the winter of 2016, after reading that natural soaps are gentler on the skin than most of what's commercially available. I have always been a maker (of a wide variety of things), and have lived with skin allergies most of my life. My soap-making experiments began with a need for better
hypoallergenic products. 

The basic ingredients in soap are very simple, and nothing special. I find most base oils kind of gross, Lye is (honestly) quite scary. When you combine these ingredients correctly, you get a magical (OK, it's
really chemical) reaction, and then you have soap. Yes, botanicals and essential oils are beautiful, and also seem like magic to me, but they represent only a tiny part of the soap. Soap smells great, and it cleans everything. I had been told many times “You are most likely allergic to the fragrances used in soap, use only unscented products”, but have since learned that there are many natural essential oils that are skin safe and smell great. SOAP CUBED is free from preservatives, synthetic detergents (added to many commercial soaps to improve lather), artificial coloring, and animal products.

Quite soon, there was more soap in my life than I could ever use, so I came up with a packaging system, and a logo. This was fun: I got help from my sister (PhD in Biology), and husband (PhD in mathematics) to create the lye molecule in the cubed root symbol. Then I set up an Etsy shop, all the time listening to a

little voice in the back of my head, telling me that people needed to see (and smell) this stuff in person.

I did my first Avant Garde craft event in the Springtime of 2017, and have since lost count of how many shows I have done. Live events are definitely a better fit for SOAP CUBED than online sales, maybe because people need to see and smell soap in “real life” before they buy.

I don't think I can see what will happen 5 years from now; soap-making must be balanced with my day job (as a teacher), my fine art studio practice, and travel habit! I do know that I want to create something beautiful and good, and I hope to continue building SOAP CUBED, as I identify top selling cubes, such as Lavender Brown, Smoke a Clove, or Tobacco & Rosewood, and create new essential blends. 

My most recent experiments have been with solid shampoo cubes, which are especially useful for travel, palm oil free, and help to reduce plastic bottle waste. SOAP CUBED is about creating a simple, more natural option for skin care, that can still smell great, look beautiful, and reduce packaging waste from the skincare routine.

Meet Tyler Berry of Loosen Up...
Hello! My name is Tyler Berry and I am from East Liberty, Ohio. I am the owner of Loosen Up which is not just your average tea business. Our goal is to take Tea to the next level and incorporate it in all sorts of ways never done before. Because of this goal, Loosen Up offers a wide selection of loose leaf tea flavors, as well as some unique products like cocktail mixes, bath bombs, and spices all based on tea! 

Our story began in May, 2018 when a couple things clicked in my head. Born an entrepreneur, at 19 years old I had to do something. I did tons of research trying to figure out what the consumers where missing. At the time my favorite tea company closed all of it’s stores and I learned that like myself people were outraged and didn’t have a place to buy tea. After thinking about starting a tea business it just made sense. I have a complete herbal background so I was already knowledgeable on the medicinal side of tea, and I loved tea! 

I remember my Grandma would go in her garden and make a fresh mint tea every time I would visit her growing up. I loved her homemade tea so much that I begged for it every visit! At this point in my creative process I had everything I needed. I had passion, ambition, and excitement to fuel my plan. Once I started making teas and having people try them I learned very quickly that I was pretty good at this skill. Calling my grandma and getting her recipes and being adventurous and trying something new inspired me almost every day. 

In 5 years I hope to open my first Loosen Up Tea Lab! This will be a place where people can enjoy my creations and maybe get creative on their own. I also hope to finish with a college program I’m involved in called The Young Americans. 

I’ve been apart of this California based group since 2017 where I have had the opportunity to travel around the United States and Japan teaching music outreach workshops to kids and adults! Because of this I have probably performed over 100 shows in over 100 different venues around the world. I definitely have to thank my music background for helping me through the business journey. It has taught me creativity, responsibility, and positivity! 

This is my first Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show and I am beyond excited! This will be my first time branching out into the Columbus area and I can’t wait to meet everyone. 

Something I always say about tea is, “Sweet or Unsweet? Not Exactly.” That would be my message behind my work. The art of tea is much larger than people know and I hope you stop by my booth so I can show you just that! 

2019 Columbus Summer Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show

Sunday, June 9th, 2019 - 10:00am-4:00pm

Makoy Center

5462 Center Street

Hilliard, Ohio 43026

For more information, contact Amanda Look, Event Coordinator at Amanda@ag-shows.com

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