our crazy year so far

2019 started off with a bang for us. Right off the bat, we were told we were going to have to move to a new spot in the mall. With less than 2 weeks to complete the task, we worked day and night and moved to our new location in the Dillard’s wing of the Acadiana Mall. Our new spot is slightly larger than our previous location and we are enjoying the roominess and new displays that my husband and his friend built for the store. Although it has been an adjustment, we have gotten a lot of positive feedback from our customers.

During the craziness that was our 10 day store remodel, we had 30 goat kids born within a week at the farm. Yes, 3-0 goats! It was crazy! We had 5 babies that we needed to bottle feed, which meant we had them with us through part of the remodeling of the store. You should have seen the look on the faces of the people who got to see them. They were definitely a hit with the staff at the mall. Now, all of our babies are weaned from their mothers and some of them will be making their way to their new homes. Milking season is in full effect and we are putting milk up to make the products you love. We started off milking quite a few goats. Some of them are first time moms and never have been on a milk stand. It takes a little training and a bit of feed to get them used to the sounds in the dairy… the humming of the milking machine, the in and out of goats and kids, but they all did really well. We cut back to our top 8 milkers and they are being milked daily. 

If you have been in the store lately, you may have noticed that the look of our men’s products are changing. We applied for a new trademark to separate our men’s line into its own entity. Our new men’s line is Cypress Point Grooming. You may notice some new scents and new products coming in under the new name as we are adding some great new products. Keep an eye out as we are working on packaging and products.
We are also conducting some pop-ups to test out new markets to bring our store to. I am currently in Lake Charles through Easter weekend testing out the Lake Prien Mall. The mall manager has been scouting us for about a year and a half, wanting us to come into this market. We have had quite a few of our customers come through and have been very excited to see us here. 

We are currently working on a new storage building at the farm so we can have the room to support the amount of product we need to supply multiple stores. We have finished the 1st phase of the build and are excited to get it finished. Eventually, I would love to be able to host field trips where we can exhibit how we make the products and educate on the benefits of handcrafted soap and cosmetics. In the past, we hosted a few homeschool field trips out to the farm, and it was loads of fun for us as well as the participants. 

I’m also looking forward to next month when I will be attending the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild’s annual conference. It is such an amazing experience for our handcrafted community as we are able to come together for learning and networking. This year, it is being held in Grapevine, Texas at the Gaylord-Texan resort. They have multiple experts in the handcrafted industry that teach classes. It is a time that I look forward to as it always makes me feel energized and renewed with fresh ideas. I can’t wait to share the experience while I am there, so stay tuned to Instagram and watch for my stories up at the top of your screen. 
I’m excited about 2019 and the adventures we have had so far. We can’t wait to share all the excitement we are feeling as we expand and reach out to new markets.