Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariha Falconer.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I Began my natural products endeavor about 4 years ago after the birth of my youngest child while in postpartum I suffered tremendously from anxiety and my nervous system constantly upset I developed multiple autoimmune diseases I had never experienced before and so I began reading labels not only in regards to my diet which I cleaned up over the past 10 years by eating clean and lean, but also I began reading labels on the ingredients to the things I was using in my home and on my body. I did not want to subject to my new infant son to chemicals and toxins that I know would be absorbed through his in my bloodstream and respiratory system. when I was younger with my older kids I wasn’t as aware of the benefits of a holistic lifestyle. I wanted to do things differently this time as an older and more experienced health-conscious mom. So while home I’m maternity leave and an extended leave due to a post-delivery surgery I needed something to do with my time and also fulfill a purpose so I took a basic soap making course and purchased a soap book with some simple supplies. I made my first batch of soap and I was addicted! That was all I looked forward to doing every day was waking up getting everybody settled and the big kids off to school and my infant down for a nap so I could just make soap, it soon became my creative Outlet I found that I could be artistic with the methods that I chose to make soap and then I later learned that I could pretty much learn to produce any bath and body products that I would typically buy in the store for my family. I begin posting pictures on my personal social media what I was doing the little bars of goat milk soap with pretty little buds of lavender over the top and people were interested and asked if they could purchase my soap products so I began doing little home deliveries just for friends and family I was working part-time at this point and then I was offered to do one of the farmers markets in my community and then it just kind of grew from there I began taking part in markets that I was invited to from other communities I did the farmers market in my Eastern Oregon Community once a week and then I found that wow I could supplement my income and not have to work a regular full-time job it’s still primarily with my baby and only working part time at my restaurant bartending job over the next couple of years I continue to grow my inventory to learn new skills to make new products I created a brand and labels and then it just took over my farmhouse I was living in as I was doing all of this for the first couple of years out of my farmhouse kitchen out in the country and that’s when about 3 years ago I found a space in downtown Pendleton to lease that was going to function as my production space I had developed a website at this point so I could keep track of ordering and inventory and people couldn’t make orders online and it made me feel like I had some type of a system. This became so much more than a job for me this gave me true and still gives me true complete happiness and fulfillment and creating a product and a service that the community has sought and continues to seek. While eliminating all toxic products in big box brand ingredients in my home and in my body I had reversed my autoimmune diseases and the issues I was having with my skin and hormones, and chronic headaches. I replaced everything in my home with literally only products I can make to this day I never go into the store and buy anything for bath body or home I literally can just go to my current shop and grab what I need to stock my home and it feels great knowing that everything is natural or plant-based and non-toxic from carcinogenic ingredients and lab compounded synthetic ingredients that can cause harm to our bodies. I began to get pretty popular at Farmers Market I never expected to grow into what I am now today having a storefront wasn’t even in my mindset and it was definitely not something I ever felt like I could truly achieve I’ve always worked multiple jobs trying to make ends meet most of the time of a single mother. I also never truly felt fulfilled in any job that I did I bounce back and forth from different professions every two years or so feeling no fulfillment feeling boredom feeling like I wasn’t fulfilling a real purpose or a real need I was just going to work to earn a paycheck and that’s just not how I wanted to spend my life anymore this hobby that I discovered that brought me true peace in a sense of artistic ability and my true authentic self also generating me generated me revenue and income I opened my store Front in downtown Pendleton at my starter location November of 23. Prior to the opening of my first location after securing the building lease I was accepted into the Pendletons urban development grant program, called the path to success. This is a opportunity for small businesses new or expanding in the downtown Pendelton area to complete to receive 20K in a forgivable loan. I was very fortunate to be one of the 4 selected that year and was able to utilize some of those funds for my most costly start up fees, such as signage, permits, licensing, shelving, equipment. It’s been two years now. In that short time, I grew enough to where I was able to work one day a week at my restaurant and bartending job as a source of security income and work the remainder days of the week at my brick and mortar that I was able to open. I know fully am self-employed and work for myself only. 6 days a week most weeks. I received amazing feedback and support from the community that I soon outgrew my workspace and most recently moved to Main Street in Pendleton Oregon to a very cute little Bick and mortar that I hope to be my forever home my business has increased since I have moved to that location and I’ve been so well received in this endeavor that I never dreamed I would be capable of being a part of and it’s all thanks to the community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Mostly it’s been smooth I’ve been very well received by the community by supporters by other business owners and supported by my family I think my biggest struggle right now is finding the balance of wanting to be open all days of the week to not miss a customer but then also realizing I can’t work seven days a week as I am the machine of the operation I am producing all the product the more product I sell the more product I have to remake I begin being open only 5 days a week I’m currently now open 7 days a week I do have some amazing and supportive part-time employees but also want to be available to customers when they have questions or wish to make a request. I am learning to navigate The avenues of being a business owner and also an employe. My intentions when I started this business was to be fully independently small simple part time shop, always present. However, I strive to fulfill the demand of being opened the hours and days of the week that I feel like the community would like me to be anf thanks to my part time helpers I am currently able to do so. I’m learning to navigate the dynamic of giving instructions, turning tasks over to others and trusting my baby in the hands of others as consistency for my brand and my business is crucial and it my passion.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I handcraft from scratch everything bath body and home on site with transparency. I make my soaps cold process method it’s the old original dated back hundreds of years first original way to make soap. I Source my materials organic when possible Raw minimally processed if at all I use mostly essential oils that are steam distilled in my products and create my own labels and branding. I use local print shops for printing. I’m the only natural products Boutique with the maker on site in my community. I think that’s one of my advantages. People come to me because they trust me and they can see everything that I do with transparency. I craft my products on site and my work area is visible to the public. I don’t overcharge bougie city prices even though the product is very much of high quality and pure ingredients. I post a lot of social media videos on what I’m doing and even my videos where I make errors because I’m human and I believe in transparency and hey I am a real human here haha, winging it. I craft everything from raw beeswax candles “naturally air purifying” to goat milk lotions with raw local goats milk, to whipped body butters to Natural non-synthetic bath bombs and soaks, dish soaps hair shampoo bars, face creams, moisturizers, herbal salves, massage oils, lip balms, natural all-purpose cleaners. We also have a small liquid soap refill station where you bring in your own container for the less is more approach and eco-friendly Solution and pay per ounce of liquid. I also create magnesium products for aches pain sore muscles and sleep support these are applied topically.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The public seems to love the most about my operation that I engage with them that I’m very transparent and everything that I do I post what I’m doing and the process from start to finish I’ve also learned along the way that burnout is a real thing and when you’re a full-time mom with little sleep in a full-time independent business owner producing every product nearly that you sell it can be very exhausting my brain doesn’t shut off when I’m at home regarding when I need to do for my shop the next day I manage my social media, my marketing, my ads, my product, labels, packing and shipping orders, running adds, and my store itself along with communications back and forth with customers, it’s a lot but I’m doing it and I’m really proud that I’ve came this far because this is something I never dreamed up that I would be accomplishing. I never saw the opportunity for myself to become fully self-employed and actually generating a profit from doing something I truly love so much with my heart and soul. That being said letting an employee take the lead every now and then is necessary for mental and physical health I have to step back and take a break once in awhile. So that is my goal this next year of growth.
Pricing:
- Nearly everything in my store is priced $20 and under that’s because I Source materials from suppliers that are ethically sourced and in bulk when I have the opportunity
- I live in eastern Oregon medium income is not very high here I don’t want to be a bougie Boutique that only appeals to those with disposable unlimited cash in their pockets I want to be an option for our diverse community
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.herbalbynaturesoaps.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herbal.by.nature.soaps?igsh=MW11eGpscnEwb3ZxYQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1KvSfWXn4N/
