Gentlemen's Quarter Exports Fine Soaps
BECKLEY - Colleen Hurley spends a lot of time cooking in her basement.
But the concoctions she creates aren't culinary delights. Instead, they are used for shaving and bathing. Hurley is a soap maker and in 2003, she established a business now called The Gentlemen's Quarter. Today, her operation exports soaps and shaving creams around the world.
She started out, however, making soaps for women.
"I got feedback from women who said they loved the soap but their husbands would steal it to shave with," she said.
That gave her the idea to start making shaving soaps.
Unique R&D Model
Before she could start selling, Hurley had to do some research, she said.
"It took me a long time - well over a year," she said. "It was about 15 months of making batch after batch after batch after batch. I was tenacious because I wanted feedback."
For feedback, she turned to the Web site straightrazorplace.com, Hurley said. There, she took part in discussion forums where she asked advice from men who actually shave with soap.
"They have absolutely been my biggest supporters," she said.
Those she met on the Web site helped her not only formulate her products but also helped her hone her computer skills, Hurley said.
To make her soap, Hurley uses a cold process, she said. She started out by mixing ingredients and experimenting until she thought it was right.
Once, a retired chemical engineer she met asked about her process for formulating her soaps, Hurley said.
"I told him I just mixed them together," she said. "... You can do that if you really know your ingredients."
After getting what she believed was a good formula, Hurley sent free samples to members of the shaving forum and asked for their feedback. They were brutally honest.
"One told me (the soap sample) had the best slick of any soap he had tried, but the lousiest lather," she said.
Hurley took the comments to heart and continued experimenting in her basement, she said.
For her products, Hurley only uses fine essential oils, which come from plants, she said. Even the fragrance oils she uses, which are manmade, have a touch of essential oils.
Smell of Success
Finding the right blend of ingredients took time, Hurley said.
But once she found the right combination her months of experimenting started paying off immediately, she said.
Many of those who had helped her by trying the free samples bought the final product.
"My sales went through the roof," she said. "Straight Razor Place had the biggest impact."
Today, she has a discussion thread in the vendors area of that Web site. As of July 28, it has had more than 73,000 views and 2,700 replies.
Because of that success, Hurley's basement is crowded with soap and supplies, she said.
"It doesn't really take a lot of special equipment," Hurley said. "I do everything by hand."
Hurley sells her soaps at Tamarack, but most of her sales come from her Web site, www.thegentlemensquarter.com. The site features pictures and descriptions of each kind of soap as well as shaving tips. Customers from around the world order products from the site. Earlier this summer, The Gentlemen's Quarter won a West Virginia Export Award for 2008.
And she has accomplished her success with only one part-time employee, Jane Boyd, she said.
"She is my assistant, my sounding board, my cheerleader," Hurley said. "She can look and see what needs to be done."
Hurley has made The Gentlemen's Quarter into a high-end retailer, she said. Her soaps admittedly are a bit pricey, ranging from $9.98 to $16.98 for a 3-ounce round.
"It's not inexpensive," she said. "We cater to the higher income bracket."
Clear Vision
For her soaps, Hurley has a clear idea of what she wants.
"Typically, I prefer masculine scents," she said.
Some scents are custom blends that she developed and that are only available through The Gentlemen's Quarter, Hurley said. They include Leatherneck, Cavendish Black and Desert Ironwood.
Jomashop coupon code
Skinit coupon code
Dermstore coupon code
Zagg coupon code
Mymms coupon code
Supermediastore coupon code
Her line of shaving creams and bath soaps are made with the same essential oils as her shaving soaps, Hurley said. And they come in many of the same unique scents.
And Hurley has plans to expand her product line, she said. She intends to develop a line of aftershaves and colognes in the near future. And she wants to have a line of accessories like cuff links and necklaces, she said.
Her vision for the future of the company is clear, Hurley said. She wants to be thought of in the same breath as other luxury shaving product companies.
"I believe we can get there," she said.