Step inside the Apothecary

1/31/21 COVID 19 and the election fracas caused delays within the USPS over the past three months, affecting the timeliness of deliveries, and in some areas, brought them to a standstill. It all boiled down to the distribution hubs. Our mail goes to the Richmond hub, which was flattened by labor shortage amid package overload. […]

This is the first in a series of posts about our beloved stockists. Today is about Annette Barrett. Annette’s warm, vibrant personal style is reflected in the cozy farmhouse ambiance of her two shops, Lacy’s Florist in Orange and The Flower Cottage in Locust Grove, near Fredericksburg. Annette is a strategic thinker, and when the

Happy New Year! …from your favorite apothecary makers. We miss you since closing C’ville Soapbox, and were sorry to disappear overnight! Read on for the back-story… So what happened? When a place like C’ville Soapbox closes, everyone wonders why. You have been amazingly supportive customers and we love you. We know how much you appreciate

For those of you affected by the invasive Brown Marmorated Stinkbug… We’ve created an essential oil complex that stink bugs run from, in an all natural wax base. The idea is to keep them from getting inside. If the cold of winter naturally diminishes their numbers, all the better. I tested all the essential oils

When the sun shines, January boasts the bluest sky of the year. The world is crisp and quiet and new, waiting to see what will happen. The oasis of calm after the rush of late fall feels like a good time to reflect on the past year and mentally prepare for the new. Nearly a

We opened our new little apothecary in Charlottesville in Spring 2016. With C’ville Soapbox humming along and our wholesale business growing, we’re transitioning to a new shopping location for our Orange customers. The need for more dedicated studio time to get stuff made has prompted the decision to close the shop portion of our studio

This time of year, it’s critical to hydrate your insides & moisturize your outside. The lower humidity, sweeping winds and dry forced-air heating suck the moisture out of our skin. Hot showers aren’t quite the answer – they dry us out too! Warm showers, warm baths, good quality non-drying handmade soap and plenty of water-laden

I like to start our rare company emails with a little tidbit about family life. We’re halfway through Brian’s deployment in Japan! About one year to go… The ship is in dry dock and Brian has been enjoying the kinder schedule and better opportunities for connecting with home. We recently had a conversation that went

We like to keep it dressy-casual around here and not bog you down with too many posts. It’s just not sexy. One customer eagerly awaits our rare updates and described them as chapters of a Southern Gothic tale. So let’s get to it. Whether we met you at a craft show or in our (relatively)

Today the door was locked. I was working with the magic of chemistry to make my luscious handmade soap, and it gets a little hot. The lye gets to 195º F when it hits the water. So days when the production studio is closed to the public are good days for hot mess. Today’s recipe