His & Hers Soap Company
Vendor
Markets
About
We are a plant based natural bath & body company that makes skincare for people with sensitive skin. Some of our products include bar and liquid soap, shampoo / conditioners, facial cleansers, toners, moisturizers, body butters, beard oils, balms, butters and shaving soaps.
Programs and Partners
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
Manager
Derek Smith
I'm Derek Smith, and let me tell you a bit about myself. I wear many hats – I'm a proud father, a loving husband, and an ambitious entrepreneur.
I am from a small town in North Carolina. I hold a BS degree in Industrial Technology from East Carolina University. With that under my belt, I hopped into the manufacturing world. I have always had the urge to help people and felt drawn to the sales and service industry. After a few years, I relocated to the Northern Virginia/DC/ Maryland area and took a sales position with a major food and beverage company.
After many years of working long hours and dealing with the constant headache of commuting, my wife and I decided to ditch the hustle and bustle of northern Virginia. I transferred to another position with the same company and we moved our family to Virginia Beach for a more relaxed and healthier lifestyle. Looking back, it's been quite a journey.
When our son was very young, he started breaking out in itchy rashes on his arms and legs. We started looking at the ingredients in the products that we used such as on laundry boxes, bar soap and bath wash. What we found was startling and pretty concerning. It gave us the push we needed to move away from using products with harsh chemicals and in 2012, after a whole lot of research, we started His & Hers Soap Company part-time. It was exciting and it fit into our vision of overall health and wellness. It began to check our boxes. Service to others? Check. Healthier lifestyle? Check. Safer alternatives? Check.
In 2016, life threw us a curveball. Just months apart, my wife was diagnosed with autoimmune Graves Disease and, at 21 years old, our oldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Needless to say, we hit the pause button and focused on family. Today, our daughter has learned to live with cancer and to thrive, in spite of it. We couldn’t be prouder.
But then, life threw another curveball. Right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was was in a serious auto accident. During my year long rehabilitation from the accident, I had time to pause and reflect on what truly matters. It hit me. I needed to go all-in, full throttle, full-time and relaunch our small business. With the support of my wife, I made the decision to bid farewell to my job and go full-time with our business. It was a leap of faith, but sometimes, you've got to trust your instincts and follow your dreams.
Colleen is an integral part of our business handling day to day operations, social media posting, working weekends markets in addition to holding down a full time job. On top of that, two of our children are involved in the business - Christian & Sophia. You can see them in the silhouette of our logo and you’ll find them working markets on weekends. That's a sneak peek into our lives, passions, and the hurdles we've overcome. Please join us on this incredible journey as we strive for success, happiness, and making a positive impact on our community and the world.
Here’s where you can find us locally :
Old Town Portsmouth Farmers Market - every Saturday
Art & Eco Market next to Old Beach Market at the Vibe District - VB Oceanfront - every Saturday
Kings Grant Farmers Market in VB - 1st and 3rd Thursdays
Bridgeport Suffolk Farmers Market - 2nd and 4th Sundays
Derek & Colleen Smith
www.hisandhersoap.com
[email protected]
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