If you think soap is boring, you've never met Soapy Jones. She's the brains--and beauty--behind Tuscaloosa's Left Hand Soap Company, a local business that sells handmade soaps, scrubs, salves, and so much more.

Jaysen Michael / Secret Playgrou
Left Hand Soap Company's Soapy Jones and Erik Hanson (Jaysen Michael / Secret Playground)
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Jones started making soap as Christmas gifts for friends seventeen years ago; a few months later, requests for more came rolling in. She, along with her husband and business partner Erik Hanson, turned her handmade crafts into a booming business. Jones says she's been working diligently since then to create an ever-expanding product line while staying true to her unique roots:

We have a modest workshop now while we're working out big goals; and it was nice to stretch into (and quickly start to outgrow.) I'd rather take the time to perfect a product, an idea, a plan. We love our work - and take it seriously - so I'm grateful everyday that we're given the opportunity to move forward with what we love.

Left Hand Soap Company
Left Hand Soap Company
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Jones and Hanson saved their own money in order to get the business off the ground, and Jones says they've used their savings to help expand Left Hand Soap Company:

Initial financing for the business was out of pocket. The investment was minimal. From there, we save for the next jump; and don't take it until we have enough. Loans and alternate revenue streams are great resources. I just tend not to use them.

Left Hand Soap Company uses all natural ingredients for their best-selling soaps. Jones says the traditional bar soaps are a huge hit with customers, as are their new liquid soaps:

[When it comes to soaps,] our best sellers are the Rosemary Mint, followed by our newest, in honor of Birmingham's Punk Rock Flea Market (Tea Tree, Rosemary and Coriander with Activated Charcoal). We've expanded our product lines throughout the years to include 35 different solid soaps and lots of other goodies. The Freeman's Own Citrus Blend is our best selling Liquid Soap. The Peppermint Sage and Manna Grocery (Lavender, Tea Tree and Sea Buckthorn) Salvation Lip Salves, and the Black Warrior Brewing Beer Soap in our Tub Crawl.

Jones doesn't play favorites. She says it's almost impossible to pick just one item from her product line because she loves them all so much:

Right now, I'm using the Punk Rock Flea Market and I love it. Our Summer Seasonals, Snow's Bend Strawberry and our Blueberry Hemp are almost gone for the year. They're a staple when they're in season. I think the Coffee Under Eye Cream is magic in a jar. I keep the Cuticle Butter and some Tattoo Balm in the routine for soothing my hands and feet and the random cuts and scraps I'm always sporting. I love that our liquid soap is at my kitchen sink, in my shower, and is also great for mopping floors and keeping our dogs clean and happy. We work very hard to make products that are useful and efficient. I love what I do.

Left Hand Soap Company
Left Hand Soap Company
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Jones also loves where she works; she and her family take great pride in doing business in Tuscaloosa:

I've lived in Tuscaloosa for 20 years (almost to the day.) This place is home. It's where we raise our child. It's where we contribute to the arts community and support other local businesses that enrich our city - and are enriched by the amazing people and opportunities Tuscaloosa provides. I enjoy this place.

Soapy Jones turned her passion into a successful local business. What advice does she have for entrepreneurs who want to follow in her (great-smelling) footsteps?

Listen to your gut...not just what you want, but what makes sense. Have those hard conversations with yourself (and with those you trust) about what you fear. The road isn't always predictable. And everyone has advice. Be flexible and challenge yourself to reach outside of what you've been taught and what you're being told. Go with it. It's work - but it's worth it.

Jaysen Michael / Secret Playgrou
Jaysen Michael / Secret Playground
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Soapy Jones' hard work has paid off, as Left Hand Soap Company has become an instantly recognized brand here in Tuscaloosa. She says it's been a wild and crazy ride--but she wouldn't have it any other way:

[Our journey has] been interesting, to say the least. And it's not just the changes in our own business, but in the business community as a whole. Running a small business now is more welcomed than it was 17 years ago. Opportunities are exciting. What I love the most is the customers who come back and tell us they're happy. Or those that trust us to make them something custom to their needs. We've always chosen the slow-and-steady approach to growth.

Left Hand Soap Company has its own shop off of 14th Street in Tuscaloosa; you can stop by and check out their line of handmade soaps, salves, and scrubs from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. You'll also find Left Hand Soap Company just about everywhere--if there's a cool festival, farmer's market, or community fair, Left Hand Soap Company is there, and their products are also available for purchase at shops and stores all across the state.

Left Hand Soap Company
Left Hand Soap Company
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The Left Hand Soap Company
620 14th Street, Suite A
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
(205) 792-9565


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