Colleen Lilburn of Route 6 Campground is well-known in Cherryville as the hostess with the most-est, and this pampering has now been infused into a new business, Cherry Creek Soap & Co.
Cherry Creek is a mother-daughter partnership which Lilburn shares with her daughter, Kayla Kaliszuk.
The company offers 100 per cent natural, handmade products including soap bars, lip balms, body scrubs and bath treats. The duo is passionate about all things natural. Water used to make the products is collected from Cherry Creek or rainwater — pure Cherryville.
“Colleen is the mastermind behind the business and spends countless hours in her studio creating unique products that offer amazing benefits for our skin,” said Kaliszuk. “She is living the simple life in Cherryville, where she gets her inspiration by growing her own herbs and living off the land in any way possible.”
Kaliszuk takes care of the social media and marketing aspects of the company.
“I handle sales and love to attend markets and host parties; and any chance I get, I love to help create products and spend time in the studio.”
During the summer, Lilburn is busy with campers and yard work, but was looking for something to do in the winter.
“A good friend of mind, Elaine Waugh, offered to teach me how to make soap, which she had learned from her grandfather,” said Lilburn. “She allowed me to take over the small business that she had originally started and I have been working on making it my own ever since. I love to experiment with new products and recipes. I enjoy being creative and I’m always looking for new ideas.
“We have been spending a lot of time building up our stock as we are finding that things aren’t staying long on the shelf, as sales have been so great. With soap taking three to six weeks to cure, we need to be on top of it and always have new batches on the go to ensure there is product ready for our customers.”
Lilburn and her husband, Paddy, moved to Cherryville in the summer of 2006, purchasing Route 6 Campground.
“The lifestyle of living out of town was what inspired us,” she said. “We were able to see the potential that this place had, just needing a bit of elbow grease and clean-up.
“We love the small community, the fresh air, mountains and lifestyle — swimming, fishing, boating and so on, such as being able to live off the land, gardening, canning and being self-sufficient.
“The slower pace of living, less traffic and distractions means we are able to spend more time with our family and friends, and enjoy the simple things in life — like soap-making.
“We take the time to personally test and alter recipes, until they are just right. We take feedback we get from our customers which we incorporate into our products.”
Cherry Creek Soap & Co.’s forte would be the mother-daughter team’s innate talent with decor. They can take an old door, firewood, rusty old barbed-wire and spin up works of art, handy items or furniture, as well as unique displays for their products. Their homes are testament to what can be done with good ol’ country charming objects from the backyard and barn!
“By keeping it simple and using what is available to us naturally, we are proud to offer the products we create, organically from our family to yours.”
This month, the Vernon Lodge will become home to a Cherry Creek Soap & Co. display, when Lilburn and Kaliszuk showcase their products at the Okanagan Artisans Guild 36th Annual Show & Sale Nov. 27 and 28 at the Best Western Vernon Lodge. The show runs Friday from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
For further information, please visit www.okanaganartisansguild.com.
