Our Story Organically Natural.

I remember as if it were just yesterday when my beautiful beloved grandma (Reava Walker) introduced me to the art of all natural soaps and that's where my love for soap making was born. It was just her and I in the kitchen standing there at her kitchen counter. I recall her preparing me to embark on this magical journey of soap making and how it was made.

She told me, "I am going to teach you how your great-grandmother taught me". I had no idea what was to come however, I knew that it had to be fun. We stood there at that kitchen counter measuring lye, water, and oils. Under her watchful eye she assisted me with pouring the lye slowly into the water. Then I watched her stir the lye water... After what seemed like forever to me she said, "I want you to slowly pour the lye water into this pail of fat". So, I did. I had no clue that we would both be standing there at that Kitchen counter for as long as we were just mixing, and mixing, and mixing some more.

My grandma said, "patience, great things come to those who are patient'. I did not fuss. I remained patient waiting to see, hold, and use the soap that we were making. All the while she was telling me these stories of how my great-grandmother had to make soap because she could not spare money for soap and to earn extra money she would sell soap to her friends and neighbors. Mind you, these stories took place long before I was born. My great-grandmother was born in the late 1800's. I loved hearing those stories of why her mother had to make her own soaps. My great-grandmother made soap for everything.

Now that our soap was all poured and the stories were all told, my grandma said, "we have to wait a while before we can use it, the soap has to cure'. Not knowing any better I was disappointed because I wanted so badly to use my handmade soap. But again, my grandma said, "patience".

It was weeks before I got to spend the weekend with my grandma again and all I could think about was the soap that we made together and those amazing stories that she told me standing there at that kitchen counter. Finally, I got to grandma’s house and all I could ask was, "is it ready"? Grandma handed me the bar and it felt so nice in my hands. It felt nothing like what you buy at the store. I took a bath and there were bubbles everywhere and the soap was so creamy and beautiful. From that day on I knew that my grandma gave me something that I would use and cherish for the rest of my life.

My grandma embodied this healing love aura that always made me feel calm and truly happy from my core. It is because of my beautiful grandma I was inspired to open Above The Bar Soapery & Gift Co. I needed to create something meaningful and beautiful to remember my grandma and all of her love. Since opening our doors, Above The Bar Soapery & Gift Co. has flourished thanks to a shared passion for creativity, botanical ingenuity, self-love, beauty and friendship.

Today, we are an independent company committed to quality, artisan craftsmanship and dedicated to deepening connections with those we encounter through our love of light, love of fragrance — and, most of all, too, creating bonds that enrich the quality of your daily life and your experience.

Love & Light

Ebboni