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Health & Fitness

Supporting Local Business is Key

Mountain Cottage Soaps are made with quality oils & butters, fragrance oils and essential oils. All products are made in small batches with only the freshest ingredients to insure a quality product.

Over the past few months, I have met many small business owners in Cumming through social media outlets. I have come to realize that our media driven society is key to help these local, small businesses grow. I made a decision that I would help support my local businesses by actively choosing them first, before going to big chain stores for my specific needs. Over the next few weeks, I will showcase some of my favorite businesses in hopes to drive more awareness and customers to these wonderful people.  

Mountain Cottage Soaps is a locally owned soaping vendor, offering handcrafted soaps and bath and body products. I chose to showcase this company because many people these days (including myself) are becoming more aware of the crazy, scary ingredients that are put into our everyday products. Mountain Cottage Soaps prides themselves on using all natural ingredients, using essential oils and shea butter as main ingredients in almost all lines. Very few products will have “mostly natural” ingredients, such as fragrance oils or some added color to add that little extra splash of goodness that we still crave.  

I met with owner Heidi Ricard to learn more about her business. Heidi has been creating these beautiful all natural products for the past eight years. Although she is selling her product in one store in Jasper, her main business comes from craft shows right here in Cumming and around the North Georgia area. You can check out her full product line, along with her show schedule at her Web site. I highly recommend you try all of her products, you will not be disappointed with a one. I also encourage other small business owners, such as boutiques, to give Heidi a chance to showcase her products in your store in Cumming.

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Heidi graciously gave me some samples of her popular products to try out and report back on. She presented me with an understated brown paper gift bag decorated with lime green and brown tissue paper, where the goodies that awaited me were: Peppermint Soap, Peppermint Tea Tree Loofah Soap and the Lavender Tea Tree Foot Butter.   

 I don’t know many people who wouldn’t appreciate the eye opening smell of peppermint in the morning, so you know I’m not lying when I tell you that I absolutely LOVED the peppermint soap! I received the beautiful red swirl in my bar, which soaped up nicely and left me feeling oh so fresh the rest of the day. I also scrubbed my neglected winter feet with the loofah soap and slathered on the foot butter as I gave myself a much needed pedicure. I saved myself an expensive trip to the nail salon – my feet are soft now, and there is no denying that you can't find a pedicure for under $10 anywhere.

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Please help me in my effort to support our local business leaders by heading on over to Mountain Cottage Soaps Web site today.If  you find yourself at a craft show where Mountain Cottage Soaps is showing, stop on over and say hello to Heidi, you will not be disappointed you did. 

Upcoming Show Dates:

*May 14 *May 21 *May 29 ~ Alpharetta Farmers Market ~ Alpharetta, GA www.alpharettafarmersmarket.com

*June 4 *June 11 *June 18 *June 25 ~ Alpharetta Farmers Market ~ Alpharetta, GA www.alpharettafarmersmarket.com

*July 2-3-4 ~ Sunflower Festival ~ Rutledge, GA www.sunflowerfestival.com

*July 9 *July 16 *July 23 *July 30 ~ Alpharetta Farmers Market ~ Alpharetta, GA www.alpharettafarmersmarket.com

*August 6 *Ausugst 13 *August 20 ~ Alpharetta Farmers Market ~ Alpharetta, GA www.alpharettafarmersmarket.com

*August 27 ~ Garlic Fest ~ LoganBerry Heritage Farm ~ Cleveland, GA www.loganberryheritagefarm.com

*October 1-2 ~ Norcross Art Fest ~ Historic Norcross, GA www.splashfestivals.com

Visit them on the Web  and on Facebook  for more information.

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