Soap company opens in Greystone area

The restaurants around the Bazaar 280 Shopping Center aren’t the only things giving off a fragrant smell. 

The shopping area’s newest tenant, Buff City Soaps, held its grand opening May 5. With a similar look to a candy shop or bakery, the bright and fragrant store found a new home near neighbors Big Bad Breakfast, Urban Barn and Simply Infused Oil Shop. 

This is the fourth brick-and-mortar location for the business, with the others in Bartlett, Tennessee; Olive Branch, Mississippi; and Castle Rock, Colorado. The Birmingham location will have one manager and four employees, also known as soap hippies. 

Founder Brad Kellum began the company in his garage in 2013 in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett. After becoming concerned about the ingredients in most soaps and body washes, he began experimenting with recipes and created his own line of bath-and-body products. What began as Bartlett Soap Company eventually grew into Buff City Soaps. 

“We use only the finest ingredients that we can find,” Kellum said. “There are absolutely no chemicals, detergents or preservatives in any Buff City products — fragrance and coloring included.”

Each store is individually owned, and Jeff Collier is over the new Birmingham location. The radio DJ from Memphis became a fan of Buff City Soap after using its products. 

When his wife was relocated to Birmingham last year, Collier was looking for a way to spend his weekdays doing something fun before traveling back to Memphis on weekends to record his shows.

“When I discovered the brand in Memphis, I fell in love with the product,” Collier said. “I had to inquire more and decided I wanted to help grow the company. I saw a huge opportunity that there was nothing else like it here. That was the whole thing: to bring something exciting and new to Birmingham.”

All the items are created at the store, called the soap makery. Each bar of soap is baked using only three ingredients: coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil for the base. They are then scented with essential oils or fragrance-grade oil that are 100 percent plant based. 

The products available at Buff City Soaps include something from head to toe. Besides soaps, the inventory includes lotion bars, body scrubs and body butters, shampoo bars, shower oils, facial products, bath bombs, shower fizzies, laundry soap, pet soap and men’s products. 

Collier added that men are a big part of their customer base. 

Some of the company’s soaps can be used to treat skin conditions including acne, eczema and psoriasis. Other products are intended to help with issues such as headaches, which includes their No. 1-selling shower fizzy, called headache, followed by second best-seller, eucalyptus, which helps with sinus issues.

“We developed a big following in Memphis from people with dry skin and eczema because our soap doesn’t contain detergent. People who have stopped using commercial soap have seen great results,” Kellum said. “We also have a much better price point for treating skin conditions. It can be hard for them to find affordable items on the commercial market.”

Something different offered at Buff City Soaps is that the products can be customized (scented or non-scented) with the customer’s choice of fragrance at no extra cost. 

“Think of it like a body products café,” Kellum said. “You can choose what works best for you. It’s a really unique part of our business, and the customer isn’t paying more for customization.” 

For those who want to sample the products, Buff City Soaps offers a monthly subscription box, featuring a variety of smaller versions of its products mailed each month. Other incentives include a loyalty club and text club. 

Collier said he plans to open a second store around Mountain Brook in about a year. He chose the U.S. 280 location first because he lives over Double Oak Mountain and fell in love with the area. 

“I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Birmingham,” Collier said. “There’s a small-town charm, and people are nicer. The foot traffic in this shopping center is incredible, and this location beats fighting traffic all the way down 280.”