When you step foot into Salted Sanctuary, you’re delighted by the sights, smells, and on event nights, sounds of Kimberly Bien’s brick and mortar shop. Her carefully created products bring joy to so many people’s lives. Read about her background, work, and business in her AccelerateHER cohort story!
Considering that you’re at the helm of Salted Sanctuary Soap, how many days/hours of the week are you working on or in your business?
I tend to work 6 days a week, 9 hour days, between manning the shop and being in the studio. Sometimes it’s everyday depending on the season.
What has your journey been like in the world of e-commerce and now running a brick and mortar?
Balancing my time the brick and mortar, making in the studio, and promoting the business has been a challenged that caused E-Commerce to take a back seat. I’m fortunate to have developed a co-op team and a part time manager to assist with some of those challenges so that I can spend more time focused on E-Commerce.
What is your professional background in? Could you tell us how [each of these disciplines] emerge in your work?
I have had two major segments of my career, retail sales development/training/merchandising, and accounting systems management. These disciplines can be seen in my work through my store displays and my ability to tell a compelling story through merchandising that compliments many different artists’ work and secondly, with my ability to analyze data to make effective decisions for the future.
What kept Salted Sanctuary Soap from becoming a project that fell to the wayside? How do you pick back up on it when perhaps feeling uninspired?
Salted Sanctuary Soap has remained a constant project for me because the need for healthy and sustainable skincare has increased as fast fashion has spilled into the cosmetic industry which unfortunately means even more chemicals and less good for your skin ingredients are being used in order to keep up with the latest trend. When I feel uninspired, I always turn to nature.
How did you find your way into the soap & skincare industry?
My Grandmother had a hair salon and as I child I spent time there amusing myself with products. As an adult, I’m naturally drawn to self care products but have sensitive skin that is irritated most preservatives found in commercial skincare products. This lead me to learning how to make soap and develop my own formulas by reading old farming books.
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace?
My workspace is calming and visually inspiring. I like to see everything but also have a sense of creative order.
How do you see creativity popping up in the work that you do?
I see my creative style in the aesthetic of my products, their sometimes witty names, and fun events.
Name a woman, past or present, whom you admire or look up to. Why?
I admire my Grandmother Bette greatly because she was a woman of limited means during a time when creative women were not supported but she never let that stop her from achieving her goals.
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