Wausau Pilot & Review Editor’s Note: Business of the Week is a sponsored feature that highlights locally owned and operated businesses in the Wausau region. It shares their stories, the products and services they offer, and how they contribute to the unique atmosphere of the area. Email christina@wausaupilotandreview.com for information on featuring your business.
This week, Magnolia Soap and Bath Company is the featured business. The store will open to the public on June 2nd at 320 N. Third St. in downtown Wausau, its first in Wisconsin. The founder, Mergen Bynum, created the company in 2016 out of a desire to find plant-based products for his daughter’s sensitive skin.
Magnolia Soap and Bath Company is a top-tier franchise of about 40 stores with products that rely solely on domestic, naturally grown ingredients. Each store is family owned and operated. Brian Fox and Julie Fox of Wausau were drawn to the business after learning about it from a friend who opened a franchise in Alabama.
Brian Fox is a retired military man who is now an ambulance helicopter pilot for Wausau’s Aspirus hospital system. Julie Fox has had an admirable career in the medical field as a clinical laboratory scientist and an LPN in some of the largest hospital systems in the Midwest. They have lived in Wausau for about two years and saw the perfect opportunity to launch a new initiative in the community.
The store offers a wide range of non-irritating, sensory-pleasing products from laundry soaps to bath bombs, handmade soaps to pet care products. Magnolia Soap and Bath Company boasts a range of attractive home and bath products made with naturally grown, sun-grown ingredients.
The store also has exciting events planned beyond the grand opening event on June 2-4. Customers have the opportunity to participate in bath bomb parties and make their own products to take home. Magnolia Soap and Bath Company offers military discounts for veterans and different types of discounts throughout the year. A portion of the proceeds from certain soap purchases goes to local charities and community needs.
Magnolia Soap and Bath Company is the first franchise to open in the Midwest, and the business ranks 144th out of over 750,000 franchises in the US according to Entrepreneurs.com. As a veteran and family owned business, Magnolia Soap and Bath Company supports locally made products and wants to support their local communities wherever possible.
The store is located in downtown Wausau because Brian and Julie love the aspect of trying to grow and improve the community through small businesses. They believe that healthy choices help build healthy communities.
In the future, Magnolia Soap and Bath Company hopes to build relationships within the community and make new friendships. They are excited to see the impact their business will have on their surrounding communities.