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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2020)
BUSINESS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, December 2, 2020 B1 Bathing in success Local handmade soap company gains in popularity By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle For Emily Oden, the path to building her business started with a move to Montana and dry skin. After getting out of the Air Force and moving to the Big Sky State with her boyfriend, Wayne Sim- mons, a Grant County native, Oden said she could not find a soap that did not dry out her skin, so she began making bath bombs at home in 2017. Coupled with a desire to get out of retail, Oden said making soap is “much more fun than dealing with Black Friday customers.” She said she worked at Shopco in Montana before moving to Mt.Vernon last year with Simmons. Her business, “Hank In ON THE WEB The Way Soap Company,” For more infor- is named after her black lab, mation, visit Hank Hank. In The Way Soap “He’s just always in my Company on way,” she said, “like the Facebook. name says.” She said her soap is both “pretty” and “good,” and it will get you clean. “It’s pretty soap, but it’s also really good soap, and it feels great on your hands,” she said. “So I know grandma always said not to use the pretty soap, but I am using the pretty soap anyway.” Oden, originally from Sioux City, Iowa, said the scenery in the county is impressive. One of her soaps was inspired by Strawberry Moun- tain while Magone Lake inspired Emily Oden, owner of Hank In The Way Soap Company, makes bath bombs. another. She said other soaps came from customers’ requests, such as “Moun- tain Man” for a customer who asked for the closest thing to “Irish Spring.” Oden said she likes to come up with fun names for her soaps. Her “Rainbow” and “Saturday Morn- ing” soaps are fruit scented because it reminds her of waking on Saturday morning as a child to watch cartoons A bath bomb fizzes in a bowl of water at Hank and eat cereal. Oden has recently has added a lip In The Way Soap Company in Mt. Vernon. balm, which, she said, is made with Emily Oden makes bath bombs. beeswax, cocoa butter, and shea but- ter, as well as a hard lotion that took her a few tries to perfect. Oden said she is surprised to have a product that is in demand. “It’s awesome, but it’s just kind of weird,” she said. “I didn’t expect it when I first started making it for family and friends, and now I have strangers telling me they love my Lip balm is Hank In The Way Soap Company owner Emily Oden’s newest product. A nearly-finished batch of bath bombs. stuff.” Dr. Brian Jennings Dr. Caitlin MacCoun Eagle photos/Steven Mitchell Emily Oden’s dog Hank, the namesake of her soap company, gnaws on a bone. Dr. Robyn Jennings 3 New Doctors Join BMHD Team Accepting new patients, call to schedule your appointment today! (541) 575-0404 Same-day appointments available daily for last minute urgent symptoms such as ear infections, UTI's, flu-like symptoms, sinus pain, etc. S218037-1
