It was cold and damp out, with a wet snow on the ground. Although Janet Lewis had been born and raised in Ontario Canada, she had spent too many years in Florida before coming to the Smokies to want to go out and 'play' in the stuff anymore. She was bored to tears.
So she got out a Christmas gift from her very best friend. The gift was a soap making kit and the idea was to melt a small chunk of pre-made soap and add a little fragrance and a few botanicals. "I fell in love with the earthy aroma of that first bar." Explains Janet. That piqued her
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interest in soap making but was not very challenging. The kit also included a book about making cold-processed soaps. That looked much more interesting, especially the chapter on making lye soap: "Gloves, goggles, body armor, now THAT sounded intriguing!"
"I played with many different recipes in the years after that first batch." Says Janet, "Some of them were instant favorites and we still make them today, such as our calendula soap. Others were a complete surprise, such as our blackberry soap that turned out to be one of my teenager's favorite fragrances.
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Everyone's recipe will b a little different from the others as each family adds their own "secret ingredient", but the basic building blocks are the same: lye, animal fat and/or plant oil and salt.
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And still others were inspired by their usefulness in the kitchen like our vanilla soap. Of course, a few were complete failures and are now vague memories. We have chosen the most popular varieties to include on our website and in several art galleries and craft shops throughout East Tennessee."
Janet left Ontario in 1986 to accompany her sister on an "adventure" which ended with Janet doing construction work in Florida, with Bill Lewis as her boss. Bill, who would become her loving husband, was born and raised in Gatlinburg. When their first child entered Florida's public school system, the reports of drugs and gang activity caused them great concern and they decided to move the family back to Bill's ancestral home where he knew the schools to be much better, and to be closer to Bills family.
"I love this part of the country." Says Janet, "It's peaceful and natures' beauty is everywhere. Most people here seem to respect that. Most don't clear-cut a property to put up a house. Life has a slower pace here; less pressure. Folks don't sweat the small stuff, and it's wonderful for kids."
Janet started making soaps 3½ years ago. The hobby quickly turned into a small business, "I'm working on my first million… I've got a long way to go," jokes Janet, "but I'm working on it!"
Janet's love of nature leads her to appreciate the natural quality of herbal soaps. "They're more organic."
"Yes, you can go to a store and buy a bar of soap for seventy nine cents," explains Lewis, "but there is a world of difference between commercially produced soap and hand made soap." Pretty much all commercially produced soaps are made by what's called the 'full-boil' method, made in huge batches (250,000 pounds or more) in a mechanized process where the glycerin is removed to be sold separately and fillers and
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Janet Lewis has been making soaps for three years. Now the hobby has quickly turned into a small business known as the Spirit Mountain Soap and Herb Company.
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sometimes synthetic detergents added."
"Cold processed soaps keep the glycerin's skin softening properties and any essential oils or herbs that are used for their scent or special properties are fully retained." Says Lewis, "The Spirit Mountain Soap and Herb Company was founded out of a pure passion for soap making. All of my soaps are cold processed. I only use the finest quality essential oils, olive oils and canola oils in my recipes. Spirit Mountain soaps never contain animal products. I also do not use dyes to color my soap unless specifically requested by my clients. This soap is good for you. It softens and moisturizes the skin. It is hand made in small batches so that each bar contains a little of the 'spirit' that created the company."
Spirit Mountain Soaps can be found at the following local shops: The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, The Coffee Mill at Dunns Mill, Spirit Of The Hand in Dandridge, and Treasures Of Appalachia in Cosby, as well as on her web site www.SpiritMountainSoapAndHerbs.com. She also makes a custom soap: Cub Scrub for the Cub Restaurant in Cosby.
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"I think 'Treasures' is a wonderful outlet for local artisans." Explains Janet, "The hardest part of being an artist is getting your stuff 'out there'. Artistic and crafts people don't take rejection well. An outlet like Treasures is easier on the ego than cold calling on traditional galleries."
Janet's plans for the future include expanding her line with the addition of frankincense & myrrh bath salts, a rose and glycerin bath salts, a rosemary soap and building a green house this fall so she can offer fresh cut and potted herbs.
Treasures Of Appalachia is an art and fine crafts gallery offering the works of over 30 local artisans and is located at 3892 Hwy 321 in Cosby (near the intersection of Jones Cove Road and Hwy 321). They are open 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday, and can be reached at (423) 487-3111. They also host out door Art & Craft Gatherings that are open to all crafters and artists. For details and a schedule of events, see their website at www.TreasuresOfAppalachia.com.
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