Alison Bower
Bee Silky Soap started as a creative hobby. Alison was looking to find a creative outlet, and she wanted to create something useful and fun. Dave Pasternak suggested she try saponification, her immediate response was a short laugh, telling him that sounded like BS. She quickly looked up the definition of saponification. After joking back and forth, Dave insisted he knew how to make soap. He immediately produced a book showing the different types of soap, how to make them, and how different oils created different blends of soap.
After diving into the book and looking at all the opportunities available, Alison and Dave tried making a batch of soap. In her spare time at home, Alison continued to create new soaps and experiment with them. After a few months, Alison and Dave were talking and she asked the fateful question: “What do I do with all of this soap?” When Dave asked how many bars she had, she said, “Around 300”. Dave suggested they start selling the soap. This lead to devising a way to package the bars – the first package consisted of a plastic bag with a paper label. But they still needed a place to sell the items. Chantilly Goods, Vintage Soda Fountain in Lehighton, PA was their first store – Dave’s landlord Jay and Angela owned the store. The made-by hand soap was a perfect fit for the old-fashioned soda fountain.
Alison, who lives in Hamburg with her two children, and Dave, who lives in Lehighton, continued to improve on their labeling. Alison and Dave, who love to create new bath products, would add a new item every few months. There bathing line includes, soap bars, castile soap, lotions, lip balm (Lexi’s Lips, created and named after Alison’s daughter), bath fizzies, shave soap, massage oil, charcoal soap, salt and sugar scrubs, whipped shea butter, and a line of care products for dogs. They also created a dinosaur soap egg for fun. All of their creations were designed for functionality and enjoyment. You can find their products in Hamburg at the Art and Craft Gallery and at The Lazy Dog. They also have products available at other locations in Schuylkill, Carbon, Berks, and Northampton Counties. They look forward to continued growth and new locations to carry their products. You can check out their website at www.beesilkysoap.com.
Work is currently displayed in the Art and Craft Gallery of Hamburg at 320 State Street, Hamburg, PA.