Natural soaps and a small footprint!....to boot!

We were chatting with a few people on a busy day here and someone remarked that they thought the store was really pretty and that idea was echoed by a few others.
I was and am extremely flattered as I explained that everything within the store has a "green" focus in that I re-purposed, reused, and recycled almost everything within the store. I used "eco" friendly, no emission paint and if I had to buy something it was second hand with the exception of two Ikea lamps that hang in the store.
It was almost like a game finding free stuff and reusing furniture and fixtures that would fit into a unified theme without looking like a flea market within itself. I even made the sign hanging outside out of an old door and some creative use of foam molding and some paint and dollar store letters......all second hand!
I am very proud of the way the store turned out and offer some advice to others who may be looking to start a retail establishment in that you can go high end and spend a lot on the interiors and yes, it will look great, or you can go creatively funky and save a bundle!
Unless the design is really mismatched and unusable the customers would never notice the difference and they would only focus on your products.
Only nerds like me go into a store and remark on the quality or cost fixtures as I have been in the business...and did I mention I can be nerdy?!?
Thanks again to our nice customers who complimented the look of the Granville Island Soap Gallery....I very much appreciate it!!

Intermediate soap class!

Our Intermediate soap class is upcoming tomorrow on Saturday.
We are looking forward to the class as we are doing up some fun "cake" style soaps with gorgeous decorating techniques.
Check back with us if you miss this one by calling the store at 604-669-3649 to see when the next one is happening.

New artist at the Granville Island Soap Gallery

We are super happy to have Marlyn Macdonald join us in the gallery with her gorgeous paintings

Marlyn was born in England and moved to Eastern Canada where she studied at the Ontario College of Art before moving to the coast. Strongly influenced by Nolde, Van Gogh and Matisse, Marlyn creates works which are both contemporary and abstract. Lush surfaces invite the viewer to approach her painting; layers are built up and removed using a palette knife.

Marlyn’s love of flowers enhances her interpretation. Using strong colour coupled with expression and movement, Marlyn’s paintings of floral still life typically elicit a joyous response from the viewer & are collected throughout Canada. 

 

Marlyn and I used to work together at a Jewelry store where I was designing and selling sparkly things as was she and she had a few paintings up in the store there that were often admired.

We will be doing a revolving stock of her work as it will go fast with the tourist season fast approaching. Please stop by to see her work and I will put up a few examples of it here on the blog.

Cheerio!

Darren

Granville Island Soap Gallery Classes

The soap classes at the gallery have been going along nicely with our latest being the advanced class this past week. Thanks go to the attendees who learned how to make soap in the traditional way and who put their own artistic spin on the final results. We made two soaps from our batch. One was a bright and lively peppermint and eucalyptus and the other was a spicy orange with oats.
The class was very enthusiastic and really got into the task with many great questions being asked. I always say that I learn way more than the students do. Classes are always happening with varying schedules. Just call the store at 604-669-3649 to see when and where.

Oh, and a super big thanks for all the folks taking pics and putting them on their own pages like flickr... They look great!!
Cheers,
Darren