With multiple types of mimosas, hot chocolate and Baileys Irish Cream behind the counter, Sandra V Bath & Body in Downtown Katy sometimes feels like comedy hour, employee Renea Cook said.
The store sells a variety of products, including scented soaps, bath bombs, candles and scrubs that are all handmade, but owner Sandra Vandegaer says some customers come in looking for something else.
“I don’t know that they come here just for the products,” she said. “I think they come for companionship. I think they come for a friendly face.”
The setup
Inside the shop lie tables and shelves full of products, as well as wooden countertops with a transparent screen where products are made.
Customers can sit on a bar stool and watch the process or request their own custom product, all while enjoying the playful banter between Vandegaer, Cook and the third employee, Parker Sills.
“You get to see everything that goes into everything, and you can ask us questions because we are 100% transparent, and I want people to understand that,” Vandegaer said.
45% of the store’s sales come from scented soap, with gift sets bringing in the second-highest revenue. (Roo Moody/Community Impact)
Something to note
Vandegaer said she does a deep search on all her suppliers to make sure the ingredients she buys are collected in a certain way. For example, Vandegaer uses a natural stone that is colored with oxide from the earth called mica. She said mica mining is the largest child labor issue in the world, so she has certificates on her mica verifying that no child labor was used.
Almost all her raw materials are sourced from the United States, except for those that grow abroad, such as blue tansy from Morocco and litsea from China.
Additionally, she said she uses chemical-free ingredients not just because they are good for the skin, but also because it benefits the environment.
“It’s not only for the skin, but for your future generations and for the planet,” she said. “All of our packaging is refillable. We do the minimal packaging that we can, and you can come bring your jar in, and we’ll clean it out, disinfect it and refill it for you.”
Cook, Sills and Vandegaer make all the products sold in-house. (Roo Moody/Community Impact)
Going forward
As for the future, Vandegaer said it excites her, especially when she thinks about what it will bring for her employees.
“Happiness is just having something to hold on to, so I’m holding on,” she said. “One day I’m going to get to see [Sills] get married, and I’m going to be Lolly to his grandkids, even though we’re not related.”
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