Old Dominion Soap Company has been living the “clean dream” for 20+ years, but all good things must come to an end. Even the really clean things.

People always ask me how I started making soap. And really, it’s all thanks to Mother Earth News. There were two articles that piqued my interest in the late 90s: worm farming and soapmaking. Luckily, I went with the latter. I started making soap in my 900 sq ft house (that I also had to share with two teenagers and a big mutt). I took over the kitchen for soapmaking and put a soap drying rack in my bedroom. Once I realized that I was pretty good at this, I started selling at the Farmer’s Market in Old Town Alexandria on the weekend. And the rest is history.
Twenty plus years, more shows than I can count, three retail shops, and who knows how many bars of soap later, it is with both excitement and sadness that I am announcing my retirement from Old Dominion Soap Company. Life is clearly sending me a message that it is time to slow down and enjoy the little things, especially my four grandchildren. I’ve ignored these signs before, but this time, I’m listening.

Thank you for your years of support, and most importantly, friendship. We have the kindest customers and I would not have been able to turn ODS into a full-time job and live this “clean dream” if it were not for all of you. I will miss the orders via phone that turned into chats, email exchanges, and seeing you face-to-face at events.
What does this mean for Old Dominion Soap Company? We are officially closing the doors on our production. We encourage you to please continue to support your local soapmakers. There are a lot of talented artisans out here, many that I have had the pleasure of working with and teaching. We will be posting links to some of my favorite soapers on our FB page in the near future.

Again, thank you all for your unwavering support and helping me achieve my “clean dream.”

Stay Clean,
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The [retired] Soap Lady