sockmonkey

Thanks for the info. I guess they're worth a try.

I've never tried Bittercreek's fragrance oils and was hoping someone will be able to share their experience with them. I read that they do not use alcohol in their fo's, and wonder how strong the scents are in finished b&b products. I used fo's from another supplier that didn't contain alcohol, and I basically could not smell anything in the soaps and lotions I used them in. I spoke with someone at Bittercreek and was told that they only use 1% in their b&b products. I've made the mistake of sometimes listening to what company employees suggest and have been disappointed in the past. If you use BC fo's, does 1% in b&b seem realistic? I wanted to get some of their body spray base because it seems like a lot of people have positive things to say about it; and thought I would include some fragrance oils if they are any good. Any thoughts????

Sorry, I don't have any good names to offer I just wanted to say that I think French in San Antonio is NOT a good idea. What do you think about "Bunny Blossoms of San Antonio"?

I never use the words "duplicate" on any of my stuff. I understand the reasoning, but I really don't think it's necessary. People will pick up stuff to smell it anyway. Either they will recognize the scent and think it smells like the original and buy it--regardless of what it's called, or they won't. Personally, when I see something marked "duplicate" I tend to be more critical of it. If I expect it to smell a certain way and it doesn't, then I'm disappointed and won't buy it. I can't help it, but when I see "duplicate" or "imitation" on anything I think of those door to door sales people trying to push their inferior imitation designer colognes. I don't want people to think of my stuff that way.

I understand why some companies charge shipping for samples--because we all know how some people will abuse a sample policy, and charging shipping helps cut down on that, but I resent companies that charge a "handling" fee for samples because they say "we have to open a carton, and that drives our costs up." I also don't like the "we reimburse you on your first order." One company I spoke to charge a $10 handling fee in addition to shipping. What if I don't happen to like the samples I ordered? That's $10 + down the drain. It is fair to expect to pay for a sample plus ACTUAL shipping charges, but it is certainly appreciated when a company will comp a sample. I have certainly bought plenty of sample containers, but I've also bought an abundance of containers that I didn't purchase samples for. I've regretted one or two purchases that I made without samples! Bill, it is nice to see you taking notice of our concerns here, and offering solutions.

If you're buying direct from the manufacturer, like SFIC, you might contact them and see if they can help you with your issue. I doubt that they will give you any percentages of the ingredients they use, but if you tell them what weights you intend on using, they might be able to tell you where it should go on the new ingredient listing. I asked them for their ingredients before and they tried to give me a generic listing, by saying something like " all of the bases are all the same, except for goat's milk, honey, oatmeal, aloe vera...Just add them to the list, usually just above water." After I received their response I informed them that some of their soaps claim to have 25% glycerine added, 5% hemp oil added, 10% goat's milk added, and that I had no way to determine where any of that should be listed, and did not think that I should GUESS whether it came before or after water in their recipe. They quickly sent me an exact sequence of their ingredients.

People can try to trademark/copyright anything--remember Donald Trump and the phrase, "You're Fired" he tried to trademark that. Paris Hilton has tried to trademark "That's Hot." I personally think it's a wise idea to change the name of everything, no matter the source. If you switch names, that makes it harder for copycats to try and duplicate your stuff. Believe me, your competitors will be at shows, sniffing your stuff and if they find something they like, you can bet they will rush and look it up on the internet.

Unless you are at an "art" or real jewelry show, there are very few people who actually blow their own glass, or forge their own metals to create jewelry. From what I've seen, most of the pieces are just beads and wire available at any craft store. As for that poor lady who doesn't know when to give up, I would tell her she will need to apply for a show at another time, because as you say, you have enough jewelry vendors. Tell her you appreciate her interest, and that your shows are all well attended because of the policies you have in place, such as this one that is intended to keep things fair and profitable for all the vendors who participate, and that hopefully, she can understand that, with no hard feelings. Tell her to get on a list if you do everything on a first come-first served basis.

Not to burst your bubble about your vision, but have you checked with your insurance provider about coverage for this type of service? Are you letting customers mix their own fragrance into the product, or are your responsible for that? Also, how sanitary will things be at the bar with people handling everything? If you are making your own bases, are you prepared to have everything lab tested? It sounds like you might be opening yourself up to a huge liabilty issue. Everything sounds very simple, but the first time someone shows up with a bottle of lotion with mold growing in it, or gets a rash, that could mean big trouble.

Yes, I got a free mousepad and soap sample too. Thumbs up to NG for giving us a few little treats with our orders. Thumbs down to others who don't (especially when you're spending several hundred dollars with them at a time).

I vote for #5. I like the simpleness of the font. It's very unpretentious, yet still presents an element of an upscale look.

Everything looks great. I've got a question for you or anyone else who does outdoor shows...with all of those sweet smells, do bees ever pose a problem?

I don't think the goat's milk & honey is the least bit greasy.

I don't know if I would call it an exact match, but it's pretty close. I think it smells pretty nice and have made and sold a lot of lotion using it.

Can you throw a quilt over a door for a backdrop and scoot a table up against the door to shoot your stuff? You might pull some dandelions or other flowers from your yard to place them around your items or in put them in old jar or small vase next to your stuff. I've seen people take pictures of their soaps out around a creekbed, which looks nice.

Sorry, I can't find your post again after I went on my search to find 1/2 oz bottles for lotion samples, but here you go...(if anyone knows what post I'm referring to, please forward this info, thanks) http://www.bayousome.com/index.asp

I just got a sniffie sample of it. I like it. It smells kind of citrusy and woody to me. I will definitely order it in the future. I also got their Hawaiian Sandalwood. I can't say I don't like it, but I can't say I'm in love with it either. It's interesting--smells kind of spicy, I would recommend it for a masculine scent. Olive Blossom was the other fragrance I got. It's a pleasant smell, but I think it smells kind of weak OOB. I think it would be great for a bubble bath.

I'm just sick because I didn't order fragrances when I got the discount code in email. They are my favorite fragrance supplier. I told myself I had plenty of fragrances in stock and then I started making soap and decided I wanted something other than what I have, but I let the sale expire without ordering. I refused to place an order until I get another discount code! Right before I got SW's email I got about 12 lbs of fragrance from NG & ICS. I have rotten timing.

I asked for the same advice a while back, and it seems most people recommended SFIC. I tried SFIC, WSP, and Stephenson's. I 've bought all three and tried them out. I think you will be happy with any of these. They all have good soaps, but when I made my final decision I went with SFIC. SFIC states their soaps are non-comedogenic, plus they don't have some of the chemicals in them that the others do that have questionable" qualities.

Funny. Why do people never think to do that first?

I'm not sure if this would be what you have in mind, but NG's Lemon Sugar sure smells nice.

I think you're overly anxious about the situation. Don't expect to make a sale every day. In addition to my retail store, I also rent space at a couple of antique/craft malls. It's nothing to go for days and days without a sale at my booths. By the end of the month you will probably earn your rent back. Remember, you are competing against a lot of other booths and it may take a little time before people notice your new booth. In the mean time, examine your booth and see how it compares to the others. Is there anything special about your booth that will make it stand out from the others or draw people to it? Does your booth look fully stocked? Are all items priced so that anyone can easily see how much they cost? I wouldn't worry about not having any sales just yet. If you go an entire month without any sales, then you definitely need to do something different. I don't know if you could afford to do this or not, but could you give some tealights to the cashier to hand out with every purchase (while supplies last)? I would pop them in a zip lock bag with a label stating your booth number where they can find the candles for sale on their next visit. The label could say something like, "Compliments of booth ###. Please visit us on your return visit if you would like to purchase one of our highly scented, long lasting candles."

The amount of fragrance you can add will vary from supplier to supplier. Some places say you can add up to 9% FO in products, which I take to mean their products are weaker than the ones that suggest using up to 3%. Most of the fragrance oils you add are some form of alcohol, which do not cause bacterial growth. I do not believe places like WSP say to limit FO to 3% because more than that will cause nasty things to grow, but rather because stronger usage may cause skin irritation, or maybe degrade the quality of the product (such as making it too runny). A word of caution--I wouldn't start adding extra preservative willy-nilly style to any pre-base that already has it in there since you don't know how much is in there, you could wind up doing more harm than good by adding extra. Too much of anything can be an irritant. No offense to anyone here, but you just can't believe everything that you read here (or anywhere for that matter). There are many knowledgable people here who have spent years working with b&b and know what they're talking about. There are also people who dabble in it and think they're experts and give out erroneous information--not too often, but it happens. If you have any doubts, the wisest thing to do is to call the manufacturer directly for advice.

Kristine, what does your shop look like? I think potpourri can sometimes go over well in country shops, but from what I've seen at trade shows and from other shop owners I know who have carried it, they say potpourri has tanked for them. One lady I know sold it loose, by the pound--bag it yourself style. That went over well for a couple of years, but she saw interest in it waning and got rid of it. A lot of vendors used to sell it at trade shows. Yankee's potpourri did not sell well for me at all (granted, it is expensive, but still...). I even bought other brands and had a hard time moving any of it. I wonder for those who are having success with it, are you selling it at craft fairs or in a store? Maybe that would make a difference. I supposed you could package yours up pretty glamorously if that fits with your shop. I don't know why, I was just assuming that your shop was a more modern than country look.

Yankee's sales are up because of placement in chain stores. They are now found in Penney's, Kohl's, Cracker Barrel, Linens & Things, Bed Bath & Beyond, and I read that some of their products will be sold in Staples soon. Their internet sales and catalog sales also do a booming business for them. I have seen them offer wholesale pricing for some candles on their site. They are gobbling up a large market share, but appear to me trying to move away from independent gift retailers. Companies like Colonial Candle seem to be making a move to lure disgruntle Yankee wholesalers. They have dropped their opening order to a paltry sum compared to Yankees, and even compared to what they charged two years ago. They also offer to exchange or buy back candles that don't sell. Yankee is putting a lower priced candle in the market place to grab more cash from people who wouldn't normally plunk down $22 for a candle. They are battling companies like Glade and Airwick who are known for spray air fresheners, but have moved into candle territory for a fraction of the price Yankee sells theirs for. They must also compete against Bath & Body Works/White Barn Candle Co., which are ultra hot right now and have agressive promotions to sell their products.