It Started with Teacher Gifts (Not a Business Plan)

Hey friends! Stacie here. People always ask me, “When did you start Momma Bears Creations?”

And honestly? I never sat down and said, “Today I’m starting a business.”

It started with teacher gifts. That’s it. That’s the glamorous origin story.

Let me take you back to where this all began - not in a fancy workshop or with investor meetings, but in my kitchen in Enola, Pennsylvania, trying to figure out what to give my daughter’s teachers for the holidays.

The Teacher Gift Problem (Every Parent Knows This)

If you’re a parent, you know the struggle. Every year, you want to give teachers something meaningful - they work SO hard and deserve appreciation. But what do you give someone who’s probably drowning in coffee mugs and candles?

I wanted something:

Thoughtful (not generic)
Useful (not clutter)
Handmade (personal touch)
Actually NICE (not just cheap and homemade-looking)

That’s when I stumbled into soapmaking.

I’d always been interested in natural products and making things from scratch. I started researching how to make soap - the real kind, with natural ingredients and glycerin, not the harsh commercial stuff.

I watched YouTube videos. I read blog posts. I ordered supplies. And then one weekend, in my kitchen, I made my first batch of cold process soap.

It was terrible.

Okay, not terrible - it worked! But it wasn’t pretty. The color was off. The scent was weird. I cut the bars crooked.

But you know what? My family used it anyway. And their skin didn’t fall off. Progress!

From Kitchen Experiments to Teacher Gifts

I kept making soap. Batch after batch, experimenting with recipes, trying different essential oils and natural additives. Some batches were beautiful. Some were… learning experiences.

Maddi (my daughter) got involved. She’d help me measure oils, pick scents, pour soap into molds. It became our thing - mother-daughter soapmaking sessions, usually with music playing and a lot of laughing when things went wrong.

After a few months, I’d gotten pretty good at it. Good enough that I thought, “Hey, maybe THIS could be the teacher gift!”

So for the holidays, I made handmade soap bars for Maddi’s teachers. Wrapped them nicely, included ingredient lists, added little labels.

And they loved them.

Like, genuinely loved them. Teachers came back after the holidays asking if I sold soap. Parents asked where I bought them. People wanted MORE.

That’s when I realized: Maybe this isn’t just a hobby.

Friends, Family, and “Hey, Can You Make Me Some?”

After the teacher gift success, word spread. Friends wanted soap for their families. Family members asked if I could make them batches. Coworkers placed orders.

I wasn’t selling soap. I was making it as gifts and favors.

But people kept asking. And honestly? I loved making it. There’s something incredibly satisfying about taking raw ingredients - oils, butters, natural additives - and transforming them through chemistry into something beautiful and useful.

Maddi was hooked too. She’d help me make bigger batches for family events. We’d experiment with new scents. She got better at pouring. I got better at cutting straight bars. (Eventually!)

Scott (Papa Bear) built us curing racks. Because when you’re making soap for half your extended family, you need somewhere to cure dozens of bars at a time. He custom-built wooden racks that we still use today.

It was becoming a real family production. But it still wasn’t a “business.”

The Williams Grove Decision (Our First Public Sale)

Then one day, Scott asked a question that changed everything:

“Why don’t you sell this stuff at Williams Grove Flea Market?”

For those not from Central PA: Williams Grove is a huge flea market just outside Harrisburg. Vendors sell everything - antiques, crafts, food, random treasures. It’s been around forever and draws big crowds.

My first reaction? “Are you crazy? We can’t SELL this. It’s just… soap I make in our kitchen!”

Scott’s response: “Yeah, and people love it. Why not try?”

So we did.

We signed up for a vendor booth at Williams Grove. I made a bunch of soap batches - lavender, honeysuckle, a few experimental scents. We bought a folding table. Maddi helped me make little signs with ingredient lists and prices.

I was terrified.

What if nobody bought anything? What if people thought it looked homemade and cheap? What if I was embarrassing myself?

Our First Sale (I’ll Never Forget It)

Williams Grove Flea Market. Early morning. We set up our little booth with our homemade soap bars arranged on the table.

And then… people started stopping.

They’d pick up bars. Smell them. Read the ingredient lists. Ask questions.

Our first sale was a woman who bought three lavender bars.

She said, “My daughter has eczema and can’t use regular soap. This looks like exactly what she needs.”

I told her about the natural ingredients, the goat’s milk, the gentle oils. She bought the bars, thanked me, and walked away.

And I thought: Holy cow. This might actually work.

By the end of that day at Williams Grove, we’d sold more than half our inventory. People loved the natural ingredients. They loved that it was handmade locally. They loved the scents and the fact that they could actually pronounce every ingredient.

We went back to Williams Grove again. And again.

Each time, we sold more. Each time, we got better at talking to customers. Each time, we learned what people wanted.

Williams Grove wasn’t just our first sale - it was our proof of concept. People wanted natural, handmade soap made by real people in Enola, PA.

The Craft Show Progression (Testing the Waters)

After Williams Grove, we started doing craft shows around Central PA. Small ones at first - church bazaars, school fundraisers, community events.

Each show taught us something:

What sold well: Lavender (sensitive skin favorite), Honey Donkey (gentle and soothing), Rosemary Mint Shampoo bar (people love that fresh, clean feeling)
What people asked about: Ingredients (everyone wanted to know what’s in it), how we make it (people were fascinated by cold process), whether it’s really natural (transparency matters!)
What we needed: Better display setup, more product variety, clear signage

Maddi became our people person. She’s got a natural way with customers - friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable about the products. I’m better at the making; she’s better at the talking. Perfect team.

Scott became our logistics guy. He’d load the car, set up displays, handle the heavy lifting, and build whatever we needed. Custom soap racks? He built them. Better display table? He made one. Scott’s the quiet backbone of this whole operation.

We were finding our rhythm as a family business.

Then Came Pumpkinfest (The Game Changer)

After doing various craft shows for a while, someone told us about East Pennsboro Pumpkinfest.

It’s a big community event - live music, food vendors, kids’ activities, and LOTS of craft vendors. Held every fall in East Pennsboro (right near Enola), it draws thousands of people.

We applied. We got accepted. And we had no idea it would change everything.

That first year at Pumpkinfest was incredible. The crowds were huge. People were genuinely interested in our products. We sold more in one day than we’d sold at three smaller shows combined.

But the most important thing that happened at that first Pumpkinfest?

Our grandson took his first steps.

Right there at our booth. Surrounded by soap displays and customers. He pulled himself up on the table, looked at us, and took three wobbly steps.

Maddi cried. I cried. Scott pretended he wasn’t crying.

And in that moment, I realized: This isn’t just about soap. This is about family. This is about doing something meaningful together. This is about our grandson growing up seeing his mom and grandma working side-by-side, creating something with their own hands.

That’s what Momma Bears Creations really is. Not a soap business - a family, making things together, creating memories while we create products.

From Pumpkinfest to Carlisle Creative Vibes (Growing with Purpose)

After that magical first Pumpkinfest, we kept going back every year. It became OUR event. Our biggest show. The one we plan our whole fall inventory around.

Three years running now, and Pumpkinfest is still the highlight of our year.

But we also wanted a permanent retail presence - somewhere local people could find us year-round, not just at seasonal craft shows.

Enter: Carlisle Creative Vibes.

Carlisle Creative Vibes is an amazing local artisan shop in downtown Carlisle, PA. They feature handmade products from local makers - art, jewelry, home goods, and yes, our soap and skincare products.

When they invited us to have a permanent booth there, we jumped at it. Now people can visit CCV any time to see our full product line, smell the soaps, ask questions, and get recommendations from the knowledgeable CCV team.

October 2025: We finally launched online shopping through Carlisle Creative Vibes’ website! Now customers outside Central PA can order our products too.

But our heart is still at craft shows. Especially Pumpkinfest. That’s where we connect with our community face-to-face, hear real stories about how our products help people, and watch our grandson run around the booth (he’s not taking wobbly first steps anymore - he’s RUNNING!).

What We’ve Learned Along the Way

Looking back from those first teacher gifts to where we are now, here’s what this unexpected journey taught us:

1. Start with What You Love

I didn’t start making soap because I saw a business opportunity. I started because I wanted to give thoughtful gifts and I was curious about the craft. The passion came first; the business came later.

2. Family Makes It Better

Yes, working with family can be complicated. But watching Maddi grow from helping me measure oils to running our booth at craft shows? Seeing Scott build custom solutions for whatever we need? That’s the REAL reward. Way better than any profit margin.

3. Your Community Will Support You (If You’re Genuine)

From that first Williams Grove sale to our regular customers at Pumpkinfest, Central PA has supported us beyond anything we imagined. But that’s because we’re REAL. We’re not a faceless corporation. We’re Stacie and Maddi from Enola, making soap in our home, genuinely caring about the people who use our products.

4. Growth Doesn’t Have to Mean Losing Yourself

We could scale up. We could automate. We could go big box. We won’t. Because then it stops being about family and starts being about profit. And that’s not why we started this.

5. The Best Business Moments Aren’t About Money

Our grandson’s first steps at Pumpkinfest. The woman who came back three shows in a row to tell us our Honey Donkey soap helped her eczema. The tattoo artist (Mike!) who helped us develop Tattoo Luv. THOSE are the moments that matter.

We’re Still That Same Kitchen Operation (Just with More Curing Racks)

Here’s the truth: We still make soap the same way we did for those first teacher gifts.

Same cold process method. Same 4-6 weeks of curing. Same natural ingredients. Same Stacie and Maddi, working side-by-side (with Scott supporting us behind the scenes).

The only differences now:

We make bigger batches (thank you, Papa Bear’s upgraded curing racks!)
We’ve expanded our product line (lotion bars, body butters, Tattoo Luv, vapor balm)
We have more customers (but we still personally inspect every bar!)
We have a permanent retail spot at Carlisle Creative Vibes
We sell online through CCV’s website

But the heart of it? Still the same. Family-made. Natural ingredients. Small batches. Personal care.

What’s Next? (Whatever Feels Right)

People ask if we have big expansion plans. If we’re going to scale up, hire employees, go national.

Honestly? No.

We’re happy right where we are. Making products we’re proud of. Selling at craft shows we love. Serving our Central PA community. Watching our grandson grow up in this family business.

If it grows, it’ll grow organically. Like it did from teacher gifts to Williams Grove to Pumpkinfest. We’re not forcing anything.

We’re just going to keep making soap, keep showing up at Pumpkinfest, and keep being a family business that actually means it.

Thank You for Being Part of Our Journey

Whether you bought soap from us at Williams Grove eight years ago, or you’re discovering us for the first time today, thank you.

You’re not just a customer. You’re part of our story. You’re part of what makes this meaningful.

From our family to yours - thank you for letting us be part of YOUR self-care, your gift-giving, your skincare routine.

We’ll keep making products with the same care we put into those first teacher gift bars. That’s a promise.

— Stacie, Maddi & Scott (Momma Bears Creations, Enola, PA)

Come Visit Us!

At Carlisle Creative Vibes: 152 N Hanover St, Carlisle, PA 17013 www.carlislecreativevibes.com

Shop Online: Momma Bears at Carlisle Creative Vibes

Find Us at Events: Follow Facebook for craft show updates - especially East Pennsboro Pumpkinfest in the fall!

P.S. - Next time you’re at Pumpkinfest, ask us to show you the exact spot where our grandson took his first steps. We still get a little emotional about it!

origin story Williams Grove teacher gifts Enola PA family business craft shows handmade soap journey

From Teacher Gifts to Williams Grove: How We Accidentally Started a Business