The bright and gaily interior, full of jars, vials and small boxes placed on stylish shelves is well visible through the shop window.  Many passers-by, attracted by the view, enter the shop, to be greeted with the soapy fragrance.  The shop, called “Stara Mydlarnia” (Old Soap Shop), is run by Zofia Grynia.

“My motto is Come, smell and fall in love, and this is what I meant arranging my shop like this”, she says.  „I want the place to stand out and attract clients not only with the offer, but also with its look, fragrance and climate.  All things we sell here are designed for pleasure, body and beauty care, wellness and this is what I want my clients to feel when they enter the shop.

We offer mainly body care cosmetics: glycerine soap, bath salts, gels and oils, body balms, bath balls, peeling products, all sorts of body milk, caviar, butter and soapy products.”  
All products are made of natural ingredients, including honey, oatmeal, flowers, fruit, vegetable oils and herbal extracts.  They are produced by a company located near Bydgoszcz, which has established the Stara Mydlarnia brand and a network of franchise shops around the country.  Zofia’s shop is one of them.

“I always wanted to have my own business, since it means independence and freedom of action”, she says.  “At the same time, I have been always interested in beauty care products. I even studied cosmetology; unfortunately I did not graduate for personal reasons.  For me, the soap shop meant personal fulfilment, at the same time giving me satisfaction and pleasure.  Thus, I started looking for opportunities, analysing the offer and I found Stara Mydlarnia.”

She started from testing the products as a client.  She decided this was a brand she could sell and recommend with a clear conscience. The form of cooperation also seemed attractive, since she could work on her own account, at the same time being backed with a recognized brand and support of the parent company.  So, she got in touch with the manufacturer to learn details and started to look for suitable premises.  Nothing was easy, especially that all the time she has been working as a school teacher.  Putting together the existing and new duties required full involvement and perfect organization.

And she has succeeded. Accidentally, she found premises in the city centre, which she liked and which met the conditions set by the franchiser.  Unfortunately, being employed at school, she has not qualified for co-financing.  Therefore, she had to take a loan to open her shop.  She used it for improvement of the premises, purchase of furniture and goods to sell.  Of course, she devoted plenty of time and effort to prepare and organize everything.  
“Most importantly, I had to learn the details of the large number of products to sell, but I cannot imagine selling anything I have no idea of.”

The shop was opened in July, purposefully during school vacation, so that the owner could devote all her time to it.  At present, Zofia is assisted by her mother, but anyway the shop occupies all her spare time.  No great opening was organized since, as she admits, there were no funds for a large campaign.  All she had was leaflets handed to people in the streets and in beauty salons and one promotional article.  The parent company provided her with nationwide advertisement… and clients have arrived.  
“Quite often people get here accidentally, having seen the goods through the window”, says Zofia.  „Many people know the brand and used to buy it online. Now they prefer coming here. Other people have followed someone else’s recommendations.  And the business has started.  Today I have regular clients, who always come back, and a growing number of new ones.”

For this industrious businesswoman, consistency, patience and perseverance are key features for those interested in running a business.  
“Getting scared or disappointed is something one should not do”, she says. “When I was about to start, many people asked me, what would happen if this did not work.  Had I pondered over it, I would have never progressed.  I had a number of bad days, too, when no clients came at all, but these alternated with better ones. All you need is optimism about the future.”

The future of Stara Mydlarnia has brightened, since the holiday season is coming, and fragrant gifts are very popular.  
„I have many plans. They have been evolving, but I believe to be able to pursue all of them, the same as the idea to open this shop”, Zofia says.  “I am about to start up internet sales of cosmetics. And then, I would like to open another shop, of course.”

ŁP