Madison Odd Market & Fox Valley Vintage Fest

We did two really killer markets over the weekend, and we also just debuted our fall collection of soaps. Most returning from last year, but one new one -- a pumpkin beer soap. (Honestly, it smells more like pumpkin bread, but I also consider that a win.) They're going live on the website soon-ish.

This weekend was chaos, but in a good way. The soap had just finished right before the weekend, so we were up both Friday and Saturday nights until 2 AM wrapping soap bars, then had to be out the door in the mornings to drive our butts off to get to these markets, but it was so worth it. 

Saturday was Madison Odd Market at Crucible. It's a rad place. We had a great time here last year, so we were super pleased to make it work with our schedule again this year. 

I like to chat my ass off at our markets, and for an introvert, I can be pretty extroverted. One of our returning soap scents is called Bloody Kisses, and it's a vanilla/clove/spice blend that I like to pitch as, "It smells like the outside of a goth club fifteen years ago". As you might imagine, this went over very well with a crowd that is probably 80% gothy folks. 

I kept getting responses like, "Oh, this smells just like Inferno", or "you made me really nostalgic for Sanctuary". I spent pretty much the whole day chatting with strangers for ages about our formative goth clubs. It was a rad day of bonding with equally rad strangers. 

Sunday was Fox Valley Vintage Fest at Fifth Ward Brewing. It was an outdoor market, but it stayed a perfect 70 degrees all day. Several food pop-ups were on site, and we were just outdoors and vibing. We had our Bluetooth speaker with us and set to a mix of Chelsea Wolfe, Grave Pleasures, The Bridge City Sinners, Twin Temple, and early Faith No More. 

Our biggest selling soaps were very much a mix, but I love pitching our very incense-forward Funeral in Carpathia as, "it smells like an independent book store". You want to intrigue people shopping at a vintage market outside of a craft brewery? Lure them in with old book smell. 

All in all, five stars, would weekend again. 

- Sean