Thrive
Magnolia Soap and Bath Company opens on Central Avenue
The store features locally themed soaps including “Beach Drive” and “Afternoon Swim.”
Pinellas County resident Jennifer Shankle has been a soap collector for years. Spending most of her career in the corporate world as a staffing director and recruiter, she knew it was time for a change.
Pursuing her hobby professionally made sense. For Shankle, it’s all for the “fun” of it.
She opened a Magnolia Soap and Bath Company franchise location, at 655 Central Avenue, last week. Shankle relocated her business from Clearwater, where she operated a store on Sunset Point Road for about a year.
The establishment features handmade soaps, bath bombs, body butters and a variety of items. Additionally, the team hosts birthday parties and events where people can make their own products.
St. Petersburg’s “sense of community” was attractive.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic,” she explained. “People are in and out browsing. Where we were prior, it was kind of a destination.” A Central Avenue location could support the concept’s “interactive” nature.
Before selecting the approximately 1,500-square-foot space, the former home of Three Dog Bakery, Shankle explored options in the EDGE District. Moving to St. Pete was a quick process. She received the keys in early April.
The company has stores all around the country. Currently, there are two other Florida establishments in Ocala and Valrico.
The establishment features handmade soaps, bath bombs, body butters and a variety of items.
Shankle’s daughter was a student at the University of Alabama and would often visit a Magnolia store in Tuscaloosa. When Shankle and her husband would visit her, they would go shopping and bring Magnolia products back home.
“I had gone up there for a parents weekend one year and thought ‘it would be so cool if we could open a Magnolia store’,” Shankle explained. After pitching the idea to company representatives, she received approval to move forward on the venture.
Shankle and a team member went to Mississippi, where Magnolia is headquartered, to learn about the business and how to make the products. All of the soaps are plant based and created in-house, she added.
“We have some soaps that are Magnolia wide across the board,” Shankle explained. “Those would be like our Top 10. We are also allowed to make up our own and we all take part in that.”
Shankle and her team explore ideas on websites such as Pinterest. Some locally themed creations include “Beach Drive” and “Afternoon Swim.”
The events and parties are especially enjoyable, she said. Customers can select from a variety of scents. It takes about three to four hours for a soap to cure.
“I think my favorite is the bath bombs,” Shankle added. “They are hard to make. It keeps everyone’s attention.” There is an “art,” she believes, to the creation process.
Shankle hopes to collaborate with local businesses. For example, at the former Clearwater location, she partnered with a vegan gluten-free dessert company and permanent jewelry maker to provide additional products to customers.
Magnolia Soap and Bath Company St. Petersburg website
