A new Buff City Soap location is set to open its doors on July 21, bringing handmade soap and body products to Wilson.
At the “makery,” located at 3401 Raleigh Road Parkway W. in the former Lynn’s Hallmark location, customers will be able to purchase a variety of products and customize their own scent.
“Pretty much the same as when you go into a baked goods shop and they’re baking everything, we make everything,” said Libby Heinbaugh, the Wilson location’s general manager. “So instead of a bakery, we have a makery. We make all of our products by hand. We don’t get anything from a factory or warehouse. We only get raw ingredients. … Every product on our shelves, we have made in the store.”
Buff City’s ingredients are plant-based and ethically sourced, something Heinbaugh said makes the products great for people with psoriasis or eczema.
In addition to soap bars, shoppers can find everything from lip balm to laundry detergent. The Wilson location carries a whirligig-inspired scent that can only be found here. Buff City Soap also carries specific men’s and kids’ lines.
“I feel like a lot of people generalize soap stores more toward a feminine demographic, but we do carry men’s products like beard balm, beard oil and stuff like that,” Heinbaugh said. “Then for kids, we carry the fruity loopy and sour candy scents, unicorn, mermaid, stuff like that. So we have something for everyone.”
From July 21-24 and from Sept. 9-11 the first 50 customers each day will receive free soap for a year to celebrate the location’s initial and grand openings. The Wilson location’s normal hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays, but the store will open an hour early between July 21 and July 24.
Buff City Soap was founded in 2013 and started franchising in 2018. Since then, the business has spread to 30 states with more than 200 locations. The company’s first North Carolina location opened in New Bern in June 2021.
“We can’t wait to introduce the Wilson community to their newest obsession: Buff City Soap’s hand-made, plant-based soap and body products,” Buff City Soap owner Jamie Mason said in a news release. “There isn’t anything like this in Wilson where you can get involved in the soap-making process and customize your own scents, so we are confident that our unique concept will become a local favorite in no time.”
Quick Hits
Wayback Burger, located off Raleigh Road Parkway W, is offering a free side of fries with the purchase of burger or sandwich through the restaurant’s app on Wednesday for National French Fry Day.
An introduction: Hi y’all, and thanks for reading the first edition of Biz Bits. My name is Nicholas Schnittker, and I am new to Wilson, so if you’ve got any ideas for future Biz Bits, or just a local spot you think I should check out, please send me an email at nschnittker@wilsontimes.com or give me a call at 252-265-7821. If my last name sounds familiar, you might already know my older brother, Andrew. He’s been at the Wilson Times for a little bit now. Andrew got me started on the journalism journey back in high school and was my first editor at N.C. State’s student newspaper, so I am really excited to be joining him here in Wilson.
