Beautiful Plant-based Products That Make Your Skin Happy
In September of this year, Knoxville got its own Soap Makery – Buff City Soap. Known for it’s fresh, handcrafted soaps made daily in-store by local Makers, Buff City Soap has more than 25 unique and customizable scents across dozens of handcrafted soap products, including its famous soap bars, bath bombs, foaming hand soap, and even laundry soap.
Located in the Turkey Creek Pinnacle at 11277 Parkside Drive in Suite 516, Buff City Soap has created a higher quality alternative to commercial soap that is free from harsh chemicals, detergents, animal fats, and sulfates and full of nourishing plant-based goodies to make your skin happy! With every product being made in a bakery-like setting called a Soap Makery, customers are able to watch their products being handcrafted right in front of their eyes – giving them the opportunity to customize any product while seeing the whole making process live.
“After watching Buff City grow from the ground up and becoming faithful customers ourselves, we knew it was time to get involved with the brand,” states Brittany Vick, co-owner, “We cannot wait to help grow Buff City Soap’s presence in Tennessee, and we are confident that the Turkey Creek Pinnacle community will absolutely love our array of delightfully scented, handcrafted products.” Jessica Pace, also co-owner, echoes that sentiment by saying “Buff City Soap offers quality, handmade soap products that I believe in and stand by 100%!”
Owned and operated here in Knoxville by partners Jamie Mason, Jessica Pace, Vince Sartori, Michelle Stokes, and Brittany Vick, they plan to greatly expand their Buff City Soap locations during the next few years. A location just opened in Kingsport, Tennessee, on November 13th, and they plan to open another location in Powell, Tennessee, in early December.
Everything Knoxville was able to talk to Brittany Vick and Jessica Pace about Buff City Soap’s Knoxville presence and why they feel this unique store is so important to this area and others.
EK: Why did you decide to start this particular business in the Knoxville area?
JP: Brittany and I are both East Tennessee natives with a passion for success and a heart for our community! With more than 20 years combined professional experience in the health and wellness industries, we quickly recognized a unique opportunity with Buff City Soap. Founded in 2013, Buff City Soap is on a mission to create handmade personal care and home products free of harsh ingredients and full of plant-based nutrients.
BV: Can I get on a soapbox for a minute? Most of the “trusted brands” we’re all used to washing with are made with detergents, chemicals, and tallow, which is just another name for cow fat (umm… gross). Sulfates, artificial detergents, and parabens can cause irritation, trigger allergies, and have other unpleasant side effects. That doesn’t exactly say “refreshing shower” to us. So our aim was to find an alternative. The answer – Buff City Soap!
EK: What makes Buff City Soap different from other soap shops?
BV: Each bar of Buff City soap is handcrafted in what we call our Soap Makeries. Every soap item sold here is made here, where you can see exactly what goes into the products you put on your body. We love that we can provide our customers with an experiential shopping experience.
JP: Our mission is to create handmade products that are full of skin nourishing, plant-based ingredients – no harsh chemicals. Buff City products are fresh and made in our Soap Makery daily with ingredients you can pronounce. Get any product with any of our signature scents. Once you go Buff, you’ll never go back!
EK: What exactly is a Soap Makery?
BV: Our store allows shoppers to experience the soap making process and have input in the type of skin care products they want to use. With as much fun as it is to make soap, we couldn’t keep it all to ourselves! Our Soap Makery offers co-creation opportunities for all ages and all occasions. Any day that you pop into the Buff City Soap Makery, we’ll be right here creating or customizing a soap, body butter, laundry soap, and so much more.
JP: Just pick out your favorite scent, and we’ll show you how we make the magic happen! We might need your help drizzling the final touch on some bath bombs or tossing fragrance into a batch of laundry soap. Be sure to bring the kiddos along – we always put on a good show to entertain them while you shop!
EK: Will you tell our readers more about your signature scents and ingredients?
BV: We have a bit of a “mad lab” stocked with ingredients like gardenia petals, lemon zest, hemp seed oil, shea butter, charcoal, and tea tree oil. Even our body scrubs are squeaky clean with natural exfoliants like chopped loofah bits, crushed walnut shells, and poppy seeds.
JP: As far as our signature scents go, our Narcissist soap is one of our most beloved fragrances – it smells like Peachwood & Me Time! With notes of peaches, raspberries, and patchouli sandalwood, Narcissist scents combine to create the most wonderful aroma!
BV: What you will never see in our products are artificial detergents, surfactants, dyes, or other harsh chemicals. We have our fragrances specifically manufactured for us to ensure they are free of phthalates, parabens, and formaldehyde containing/forming ingredients. You can customize your products with the scent (or non-scent!) of your choice and the ingredients that you prefer. The possibilities are endless!
EK: Describe some of your unique products and their benefits.
JP: In addition to our natural, plant-based bars of soap, we carry a wide selection of other personal care products – from bath bombs to shower fizzies, body butters to face creams, shave soaps to beard oils. Our products let you put the best ingredients on your skin every day.
BV: We also carry scent customizable laundry soap that is free of harsh chemicals – only the good stuff! – and proudly handcrafted here in the U.S. It keeps clothes soft and smelling fresh while preventing that starchy feeling that some detergents can cause. Once you use Buff City Laundry Soap, you will never want to go back to anything else!
EK: Are you offering any special seasonal products for the holidays?
BV: Mr. and Mrs. Claus aren’t the only ones preparing for the holidays ahead. We’ve been busy dreaming up new festive scents to share with our favorite Buff City elves, too. Good, clean holiday fun awaits you this year, friends! Try our Candy Cane Forest soap with the scent combination of peppermint leaves, sugar, and eucalyptus. We added a sprinkle of glitter on top to bring you into the season with a bit of shine!
JP: Our Cinnamon Spice scented soap may inspire you to break out the cookie cutters, while our The Perfect Gift scented soap reminds us of holiday gatherings with notes of patchouli, musk, citrus, and vanilla!
BV: Feeling festive yet? Break out the tinsel and head on over to our seasonal soaps section to browse these goodies yourself! Pair them with a bath bomb or soap scrubby for a complete Buff City gift set, and you’ll check everyone off your list in no time.
JP: And, as always, feel free to order online and take advantage of our safe curbside pickup.
EK: How can interested customers learn more about your business?
BV: Your can find Buff City Soap at www.buffcitysoap.com or stop in and visit our Turkey Creek store – just follow your nose!
Buff City Soap has recently created a new soap called “Birthday Song,” which gets its name from the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendation of singing the “Happy Birthday Song” to yourself twice while washing your hands with warm water to safely clean your hands. For each bar of Birthday Song Soap that is sold, Buff City Soap is donating $1 to local and national Covid-19 relief efforts.
Buff City Soap
11277 Parkside Drive, Suite 516
Knoxville, TN 37934
865.288.4006
www.buffcitysoap.com