Otion’s Craft Corner a place to learn soap making

Bored kids and wet weekends can be an awful combination, unless you have a good idea like Otion up your sleeve. The store on West Holly Street offers a daily Craft Corner where folks of all ages can make their own bar soaps, nail polishes and lip balms, among other scented, practical crafts.

Owner Anne-Marie Faiola opened the 2,700-square-foot store 11 years ago after Brambleberry, her online business selling the ingredients to make the products, took off.

“People really wanted to see, touch and smell these products, and personally, I really missed seeing kids interact with the products creatively,” she said of her impetus to open Otion.

Otion has some 1,800 products in the store, among them 240 essential oils in irresistible flavors such as almond biscotti, chipotle caramel, dark rich chocolate, hazelnut toffee, and drakkar (like the men’s’ cologne). Walk through the front door and a fabulous aroma entices you deeper inside. The aroma varies according to what crafts and scents are being assembled in the corner at the back.

Four tables accommodate up to 16 crafters at a time. Upstairs, a party room can fit another 12 people for larger groups or birthday parties. Reservations are recommended to ensure there’s space at the table when you arrive.

The majority of Otion’s products are skin-safe, non-toxic and natural, with essential oils sourced from family-owned farms. Faiola buys spearmint and peppermint oils from farms in Washington, lavender from France and Hungary, grapefruit from Florida, and patchouli from Indonesia.

In the Craft Corner, kids select a craft, are given clear, step-by-step instructions, and typically spend 30 to 45 minutes on each project, stirring scents, colors and glitter into soap, making bath bombs, lotions, candles or facial scrubs.

One craft rotates each month, so there’s always something new to do. A chalkboard features engaging classes for adults, including make-your-own mineral makeup, facial products and lotion.

Craft Corner participants range from age 4 to 94, including many teens who want a nail polish color to match their prom gown or a fun afternoon with friends.

“We offer a fun, experiential learning activity that uses all the senses and gives you an opportunity to produce something you can actually use at the end,” Faiola says.

She started making her own soaps at age 16 and never stopped. “Today it’s my life,” she says.

For those who become hooked on Otion’s products, the store sells all of the ingredients and equipment required to make your own at home.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Otion’s Craft Corner a place to learn soap making."