February Artist Spotlight:
Westborough’s Own SimplySoHope
* Enjoy 15% off every SimplySoHope purchase through March 15th *
One of our most popular and long-standing product lines at Elsie Kaye Glassworks comes right from our hometown of Westborough. Our shoppers can’t resist smelling the sweet scents of Simply SimplySoHope’s handcrafted soaps, lotions and candles - all local and naturally made.
Meet Kim Tynan, the artist behind SimplySoHope started her business because she wanted to create spa and self-care products using high quality and locally sourced ingredients. She revels in finding the perfect recipes, scouting out the best ingredients, and designing the labels and packaging for her bohemian farmhouse chic products.
Everything about Kim’s products is clean and fun. Each candle, soap, or lotion is lovingly made in small batches - and she tests out all her new fragrances and recipes in her own home because she insists on natural but chic products for herself and her family.
Some of Kim’s popular blends include:
Joy Foaming Hand soap - leaves your hands smelling minty clean, while soothing vitamin E and aloe vera
Bursting in Botanicals - a well-loved bouquet of spring scents
Gardener’s Scrub - the fresh scent of anise, flax seeds, and local Armno’s coffee - for those who like to get their hands dirty
...and yes, even her “beer soap coffee” made from another local business Cold Harbor Brewery
Sometimes she’ll find a customer who loves the soap scent so much, they use it in linen closets and drawers instead - but Kim tells them “use it! It’s so good for your body, and you will get the benefit of enjoying the fragrance when you bathe, and later on your skin throughout the dayl”
Inspiration has its own journey.
Sometimes when we’re surrounded by art, we can’t help but be deeply influenced. Kim’s godparents were lifelong artisans, making pillar & taper candles, primitive wooden boxes and signs, and cold process soaps.
All throughout Kim’s life she wanted to try the cold process soaps herself - specifically the lavender and oatmeal combination that she loved so much. But her fear of working with lye, a highly caustic key ingredient of soap, held her back.
Then one summer day on a whim, she agreed to a soap making lesson from her beloved godparents, who were then in their 70’s. "I vividly remember the joy in my godmother's voice and eyes as she described why she loved making soap so much,” said Kim..” That passion and joy definitely passed down to me.”
Soon after that delightful lesson in 2012, her godmother’s health deteriorated quickly and she passed away shortly after. Forever grateful for that summer day lesson, making soap is more personal than ever.
SimplySoHope supports local!
Kim isn’t just one of Westborough’s treasured artists, she also works for the Westborough Public Schools and makes it her mission to put her hard-earned cash back into the local economy.
“I love to use local products whenever I can like beer from Cold Harbor Brewery and coffee from Armenos, “ said Kim.
“I believe it's important to give back - especially locally. I try to support our community in small ways by shopping our small businesses and SimplySoHope donates a percent of proceeds to local food banks on a regular basis.”
Like our customers, we love Kim and her Simply SoHope products. Swing by Elsie Kaye Glassworks at 3 Union St, Westborough, MA 01581 (off the rotary behind Commerce Bank) to see what latest scents and combinations Kim has come up with.
Her soaps, lotions, and candles are perfect hostess gifts, birthday gifts, and Mother’s Day gifts… and pick some out for yourself while you’re at it! As with all our monthly featured artists, we'll take 15% off every SimplySoHope purchase through March 15th. Enjoy!