As published in Development News - February 1, 2021
Buff City Soap opens second store
Buff City Soap on Secor Road in Toledo
Plant-based soap maker expands to Secor Road location in Toledo
In mid-January, Buff City Soap celebrated the grand opening of its new Toledo store located at 3444 Secor Road in Secor Square near Whole Foods.
“We are excited to expand to Toledo and provide better access to our specialty products and experiences,” said Nick Kunkel, Buff City Soap franchise owner and founding member of the company. “At Buff City, we offer a quality product that’s a premium offering for the personal care experience. We take a daily routine and turn it into something fun and novel. The positive response from people around northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan has been overwhelming, and this expansion is a thrilling next step for Buff City Soap.”
According to the company, the Toledo location and its sister store located at 7103 Orchard Centre Drive in Holland, Ohio offer a unique shopping experience and product to its regional customers that allows them to customize their own soaps, bath bombs, and other bathing products. This personalization process is what sets the boutique store apart from other personal care stores.
The Holland location has reported tremendous success in its first year of operations, with sales up more than 130 %over the past year, noted the company. It quickly became a Top 10 store within the Buff City Soap family of stores nationwide, leading the way in volume and in-store experience.
The current pandemic, which limited the Holland store’s foot traffic, did not significantly slow that location down, as customers have developed a heightened focus on hygiene to stay safe.
Kunkel explained, “Our customers talk about wanting to stay safe and healthy, but they also stress wanting to shop locally and support their community. That has been really heartwarming and has given us confidence to move forward into expansion. People love visiting us in Holland, but are craving a location that’s closer to home for a lot of our customers.”
The new 2,600 square foot Buff City Soap store is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm.