Vickie and Sarah Crabtree are the owners of Positive Attraction Soaps in Lee County.
A sample of a lavender soap made from organic lavender grown at Positive Attraction Soaps’ organic botanical garden in Beattyville, Ky.
BEATTYVILLE, Ky. – Sarah and Vickie Crabtree started Positive Attraction Soaps in 2013 on a hilltop in Lee County right outside of Beattyville. The mother-daughter duo also own and operate an organic botanical farm located among the hills in the heart of the Kentucky River. They have created a large selection of bath, body, soap, and hair products for all skin and hair types. Their focus is to educate the community on the importance of organic products by making a conscious effort to design their products with safe natural ingredients while also providing educational opportunities surrounding sustainable farming techniques.
Vickie, who also works as an occupational therapist, has always had an interest in home remedies because her daughter, Sarah, who is a registered nurse, had sensitive skin that no prescription would improve. With their expansive knowledge in health and wellness, they decided to attempt to develop their own products that were sls-free (sodium lauryl sulfate), phthalate-free, and paraben-free.
The high demand of their products from close friends and family gave them a springboard for their business shortly after opening. Not long after, the demand started to grow even more and evolved into a line that was sold as wholesale in local businesses throughout the Red River Gorge like Miguel’s Pizza and the Daniel Boone Coffee Shop.
Vickie Crabtree working in her organic botanical farm in Beattyville.
Sarah and Vickie knew to expand their customer base, they need to go online to market and sell their products.
Six months after using some online marketing tools, and that led to adding two more stores (bringing their total to 13 stores) to their customers base, and the idea of expanding to the Red River Gorge’s growing wedding market. They craft wedding bouquets, table designs, floral crowns, and favors for Red River Gorge destination weddings. Their ultimate goal is to provide an area attraction tourist destination by giving day tours of their hoop-house.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Positive Attraction Soaps is relying heavily on e-commerce via Facebook and their website. They are now able to ship all across the United States and are leveraging social media marketing techniques to grow their brand and customer base.
Lauren Blankenship, a business and innovation champion at SOAR Innovation, is assisting the business in wholesale retail options, providing marketing assistance, and working to help secure financial assistance through support from the Kentucky Small Business Development Center.
To learn more about SOAR Innovation, click HERE.