Get A Soap And Candle Fix At Waukesha's Soap Fixx Co Store

WAUKESHA, WI—When walking into Soap Fixx Co, 234 Brook St. #5, the nose catches an array of pleasant scents with smells of peppermint, lavender, and lemon greeting customers.

Before opening Soap Fixx, owner Mari Lopez-Charbonneau was making soaps and candles for years and selling them at the Waukesha Farmer's Market.

A first-time business owner, not only does the Waukesha resident work as a medical assistant but she is a mother to three boys under the age of 7 and has a baby girl on the way. She also finds time to work at the Waukesha Farmer's Market.

"I've always wanted a storefront and own my own business," Lopez-Charbonneau told Patch.

The store sells soaps, soy candles, soap savers, bath bombs, homemade laundry soap, roll-on perfumes, and more.

There are over 30 different soaps that are cold-processed and made with olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and castor oil. Two of the soaps are vegan.

A popular soap is the "manly man." A description on the Soap Fixx website reads, "It's the perfect combination of barbershop aromas. This fragrance combines top notes of lemon, bergamot, and cool mint, with a heart of lavender, green accord, and sandalwood. A strong base of cedarwood, amber, and musk round out this strong yet sweet aftershave type scent. This soap is topped with Black Sea salt which is perfect for exfoliating."

Other soaps include Fruity Pebbles, Sweet Pea, Lemon Lilly, Stress Relief, and Scotch and Whiskey.

There is also a beer soap made with local brews, which Lopez-Charbonneau says both men and women love.

Education and supporting other women

Lopez-Charbonneau also loves teaching others and offers soap making, candles, roll-on making classes. Customers interested in classes can contact her to set up a date and time.

"Anything I make, I teach," she told Patch.

It takes a few hours to make a bar of soap and there is a waiting time of four to six weeks for the soap to be ready to be used.

Lopez-Charbonneau eventually wants to help foster children with job opportunities. As someone who aged out in the foster care system, she says it is especially important for her. She told Patch she wants children to see owning a business is a realistic possibility.

She also loves seeing families taking her classes.

"It is fun for me to see people creating things and having a nice moment of bonding outside of the pandemic," she said.

Passionate about supporting others, the store also features jewelry, home decor, glasses and other items from women-owned businesses.

The store's website says, "Every time you purchase from Soap Fixx Co, you are supporting a dream, a family, and a lifestyle."

Lopez-Charbonneau said she wanted to help out other women because of the support she received when starting.

"I think it is important to pay it forward," she told Patch.