Before Old Soul Soap Company had a storefront, a production space, or wholesale accounts across Canada, it started with folding tables, giant totes, nervous energy, and a determination to make something work.
My very first craft show was in 2014 at a Montessori school in Sudbury.
At the time, I was still very new to soap making and honestly had no idea what I was doing when it came to markets. I was extremely organized though — maybe a little too organized. I packed everything into massive totes so I wouldn’t have to make too many trips back and forth to the car.
What I didn’t realize was that I would be hauling those giant totes up and down flights of stairs with absolutely no cart to help.
It was not glamorous.
I remember feeling incredibly nervous that day. I’ve never considered myself a natural salesperson. I’m much more comfortable behind the scenes making products than standing in front of people trying to sell them. Walking into that first show was intimidating, but at the same time, I was determined to give this little soap business a real chance.
And then something happened that stayed with me.
The woman beside me from Inspire Essential Therapy looked over at my setup and said:
“You are going to be very successful.”
It was such a simple comment, but in that moment it meant everything. It put a huge smile on my nervous-as-hell face and gave me a little boost of confidence right when I needed it most.
Learning the Craft Show World
After that first event, I signed up for another show in Espanola at the arena upstairs — which is pretty typical in the craft show world. If you’ve ever done handmade markets, you know the locations well:
- arenas
- schools
- church basements
- community halls
You learn quickly that handmade businesses involve a lot more than just making products. There’s setup, teardown, hauling inventory, building displays, loading vehicles, unpacking, repacking, and surviving on coffee and adrenaline for the weekend.
Thankfully, Trevor was always there helping whenever he wasn’t underground working at the mine.
He handled the heavy lifting, the hauling, the setup help, and all the things that kept the shows running smoothly while I focused on the products and customers. Looking back now, I honestly don’t know how I would have managed some of those early events without him.
Finding Our People
Later in 2014, I signed up for one more event:
The Makers Market.
That show changed everything.
Unlike traditional craft shows, handmade markets have a completely different energy. The vendors are makers, artists, creators, bakers, woodworkers, and people who genuinely love what they do. There’s a sense of community that’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it yourself.
This was where I found my people.
The other makers were supportive instead of competitive. Customers appreciated handmade work and understood the value behind it. People asked questions about ingredients, soap making, and the story behind the business.
For the first time, I realized this wasn’t just a hobby anymore.
I had a business.
After that market, Trevor and I spent 2015 building Old Soul Soap Company one bar of soap at a time. Weekends became market weekends. Evenings became production nights. Our basement slowly turned into a soap studio, and little by little the business started growing.
Those early markets taught us so much:
- how to talk to customers
- how to improve products
- how to merchandise displays
- how to price products
- how to keep going even when we felt exhausted
Most importantly, they taught us that people genuinely cared about handmade, natural, cruelty-free products made locally in Canada.
More Than Just Markets
Looking back now, those early craft shows and handmade markets were about much more than selling soap.
They built confidence.
They built friendships.
They built community.
And ultimately, they helped build Old Soul Soap Company.
Today, OSSC manufactures bath and body products for customers and retailers across Canada and the United States, but those market days will always be part of who we are.
Because before there was a soap company, there was just a nervous woman carrying giant totes up a flight of stairs hoping someone might buy a bar of soap.