Danielle's Story

The heart of Sylvia’s Sudsery, LLC of Lansing is to create an accepting and inclusive space that supports others on their self-care journey.

Danielle standing inside her storefront

Helping others on their self-care journey.

Launched in March of 2020, Sylvia’s Sudsery, LLC of Lansing offers whimsical artisan soaps, bath bombs, foaming sugar scrubs, and more. But, according to owner Danielle, Sylvia’s Sudsery is about more than local, handmade bath and skincare. The heart of Sylvia’s Sudsery is to create an accepting and inclusive space that supports others on their self-care journey.

 

Owner Danielle shares, “Understanding the transformative impact of self-care on mental health fuels my passion to guide others on their journey.” She’s found joy in witnessing her customers embrace the practice of setting time aside for themselves. And they come back to share with Danielle’s business about their progress. “I hear from them about feeling much better after putting in the effort to care for themselves,” she says.

 

Sylvia’s Sudsery takes a unique, customer-centered, and inclusive approach to self-care. They’re dedicated to an eco-conscious experience, from the packaging choices to product reusability. Their soap range is palm-free and vegan, aligning with their commitment to ethical choices. Creating vegan-based skin care aligns with their commitment to inclusivity, reflecting a dedication to accommodating a wide range of lifestyles and promoting cruelty-free practices.

The inspiration.

The inspiration.

Danielle named her business after her grandmother, Sylvia, to continue her legacy of helping others. “In her lifetime she helped so many people get back on their feet. I wanted to pay homage to her legacy through self-care,” Danielle shares. Her grandmother provided housing to those who needed to rebuild their lives, gave free piano lessons, and always took the time to listen to others without judgment, treating everything and everyone as a gift, according to Danielle. In addition to naming her business after her Grandma Sylvia, some of the scents and the look of the soaps are inspired by Sylvia’s love and skill for baking, including the cherry almond soap, inspired by her grandmother’s cherry almond tart.

Danielle inside of her shop holding a photo of her grandmother.
While the business name is inspired by her grandmother, Danielle has always had a love for art and uses her art minor to inform her use of color in her products. She also views creativity as a vital outlet connected to self-care. “Creativity is about expressing yourself and being who you are,” says Danielle, “and you can't take care of yourself without understanding who you are as a person.”

An inclusive spirit.

An inclusive spirit.

Inclusivity is fundamental at Sylvia’s Sudsery. “We’re a LGBTQ+ friendly business as well as warmly welcome the fellow neurodivergent. At Sylvia’s Sudsery, we strive to create a supportive space for everyone, embracing diversity and a sense of belonging.”

Like her Grandmother Sylvia, Danielle aims to listen without judgement and connect with her customers so she can guide them on their self-care journey. She takes the time to get to know the person or the person they’re shopping for and focuses on the ability of smell to connect them with cherished memories. “We talk about their favorite scents or scents that bring back positive memories as well as pain points in their self-care journey,” says Danielle.

Danielle stocking items on shelves in her storefront.
She also offers additional self-care tools like Mental Health Tracker Notepads to help those who need gentle and colorful reminders to care for themselves through the day, helping to make the connection between physical and mental health. “Sometimes people just need a little nudge on their journey to help themselves,” she says.

Finding balance, embracing change.

Finding balance, embracing change.

Sylvia’s Sudsery makes several hundred pounds of soap a month. On top of that, Danielle is busy with product testing, restocking, and constantly working on new ideas for products and business expansion. Danielle prioritizes trying new things to keep her business thriving, “Always be willing to pivot keeps the business interesting to your customers,” she shares.

One of her biggest challenges is finding her own work-life balance. “I have to remind myself it’s okay to have a rest from time to time,” she says, “along with working on delegating tasks to help create that balance.”

Danielle holding a bar of black vanilla raspberry soap

Launching at Middle Village.

Launching at Middle Village.

Sylvia’s Sudsery started with a 14 ft x 14 ft space located in Middle Village. Danielle shares, “We originally never planned on having a store, but Middle Village taught us that it was possible and that wouldn't have happened without Lake Trust's support in Middle Village.”

A customer paying Danielle with a lake trust debit card

Lake Trust empowers me to expand my dreams and know that my business has the ability to positively impact the community.

Lake Trust became the exclusive sponsor of Middle Village in late 2021. Middle Village offers small business owners like Danielle the opportunity to work in a downtown retail space at below market rent. While there, Danielle was able to test her concepts, perfect her products, and grow her brand and customer base. In addition, Middle Village offers small business training, tech support, weekly financial counseling, marketing support, and other resources.

The new location.

The new location.

Sylvia’s Sudsery recently moved from Middle Village to their own location at 223 South Washington Square in Downtown Lansing. Danielle’s vision for the new shop was to evoke the charm of an old-fashioned candy shop—a space that is vibrant, nostalgic, and filled with wonder. The new location allows patrons to see products made in-store. It also offers interactive experiences for customers, like painting their own bath bomb, attending classes, taking advantage of refill stations, and more. That’s the power of creativity.

To learn more about Sylvia’s Sudsery, shop online at sylviassudsery.com1 or visit the shop at 223 S. Washington Square in Lansing.

A decorative bath tub filled with soap and merchandise

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1 Third party website. Lake Trust Credit Union is not responsible for the content, availability, security or compliance of any linked third party websites. In addition, the site's privacy policies may differ from those of Lake Trust.