Handcrafted Soap Shop Opens in Newport

Walking down lower Thames Street in Newport, you might notice the air is slightly more fragrant. If you follow your nose, you will find yourself at the doorstep of Shore Soap Co., where soap and other bath products are not only available for sale, but handcrafted on-site.

The owners, Jake Kopper and Stephanie Wilcox, opened their shop at 424 Thames Street, for this first time earlier this month.   

“It was a soft launch, so we can work out the kinks before summer,” said Wilcox.  Opening a new business is not the only big event Wilcox and Kopper have on their plate. They are engaged to be married and planning a wedding for September.  

Kopper said he is primarily responsible for creating the products, using a process he said dates back to prehistoric times.  

Wilcox works with customers in the front retail area and uses her art background to create the displays.  “We even made our own logo; everything in the shop is handcrafted,” she said.

Their first experience with homemade soap was around two years ago, when her parents gave her bars as a present. “The quality was so much better than store bought,” said Wilcox.  Craving more, the couple researched online how to make homemade soap.

“Once we did it, we really got into it,” said Kopper.  The couple gave soaps away to family and friends, who raved about them.  Kopper said at that point, they knew they were onto something.

They spent two years perfecting their process and talked about making it into a career.   This winter, while walking their dog, they noticed the vacant retail space on Thames Street.

They decided to take the plunge. Wilcox resigned from her job as a nanny and Kopper balanced his time as a web designer to launch their new business.

Using savings and a little bit of credit cards, they signed a lease, bought materials and rolled up their sleeves.  By April, they had  transformed the space into a rustic contemporary style shop with an efficient soap-making workshop in the back room.

“The most difficult part was building that wall,” said Wilcox, pointing the dark wood wall that divides the workshop from the shop.

Inspired by Newport’s coastal lifestyle, they give the products names such as Captain’s Cocktail, Changing Tide and Dune Grass.  Additionally, the soap-makers have pledged one percent of their profits to Save the Bay. 

Although they suspect sales will pick up in the summer, tourists are not their only target audience.

“We hope that locals come here to buy their soap,” said Wilcox.  

To get more information on Shore Soap Co., like Shore Soap Co. on Facebook and visit their website, http://shoresoapco.com/