Soapmarket Saying Goodbye to Monmouth Street

For the past seven years has been a retail fixture in Red Bank, first on West Front Street and then, for the last six years, at its familiar Monmouth Street location. Come February, however, the soap dispensary is leaving downtown Red Bank exclusively for the virtual world.

Owner Ellen D’Amore emphasized that Soapmarket is not going out of business, but is instead transitioning to an online-only existence. The demanding schedule coupled with the cost of overhead needed to run the business out of its physical location made the decision to go online the right one for D’Amore.

“It just makes sense overall to make the move,” she said during a brief telephone interview Thursday afternoon. “I’ve been doing more and more online business and doing that offers me more flexibility. I liked it here. I like what I do. But this is a new chapter and it’s exciting.”

Beginning Friday, D’Amore said the store will begin offering discounts on its products, not in the form of an everything-must-go selloff, she said, but more in the vein of an inventory reduction effort. Items not previously for sale, including the store’s fixtures, obviously not needed on the internet, will be offered for sale.

It’s a sad business departure for Red Bank. The town will likely not only miss the store and its products, but D’Amore’s consistently attractive window display, which centered on an illuminated bathtub and its rubber duckies.

Already, D’Amore said she sells soaps and lotions, including her own homemade variety, from her website. Many of her regular customers have reached out to her to find out how they can get their products from her online, she said. She’s also an Amazon seller and soon she hopes to open her own Etsy store. Etsy is a website centered on the sale of goods that fall into several niche categories like vintage, crafts, or homemade.

Though the Red Bank resident said it was a fiscally sound move to close down the store, the decision wasn’t made without reservation.

“It was fun and I still love it. I love what I’ve been doing,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of cool people and that’s the bittersweet part of leaving. It was a great seven years.”

A closing date has not been set, though D’Amore said mid-February is a likely time frame.

Visit www.soapmarketonline.com.