Story and Photos by Christopher Holland • The Current Contributing Writer
After more than two decades working in the hospitality industry, Marianne Garritano Rustad partnered with her mother Marie Garritano to open Conjured Soap Boutique at 101 Broadway in Jim Thorpe.
“I always knew I would have my own business… I thought it would be in the food industry, along the path of a restaurant owner,” Garritano Rustad said.
But after a short while making her own soaps and body products, solely for herself and her own needs, she realized she had a knack for the products she was making.
“My products are simple … I am more focused on what benefits they provide as opposed to how they look. Some handmade soap is amazingly gorgeous and I feel mine is more simple yet effective,” she said.
She attributes her ability to run her own business from her years of experience in the hospitality industry.
“I have a large inventory, work long hours, comply with heath regulations, I serve the public, and I have my own recipes… I don’t think I would have the grit to run this business if it wasn’t for all my years in restaurants,” she said.
She started Conjured in 2015 at The Douglas House in Jim Thorpe before moving to its current location in 2016. Her lease at the storefront runs through 2020, and she plans to renew and “be there for a while.”
The store offers handcrafted bath and body provisions with the products made on-site in small batches using quality ingredients.
Garritano Rustad gets a majority of her supplies from companies that specialize in professional small batch provisions.
“I use Bramble Berry out of California, Essential Depot out of Florida, Bulk Apothecary out of Ohio, and Candles and Supplies in Quakertown. I trust the quality of ingredients from these providers,” she said.
The store is run by her and her mother and also staffs Kiya Jenkins, a Jim Thorpe Area High School senior that has been working at Conjured for more than a year who Garritano Rustad says is her “right hand,” as well as her niece Natalie Garritano, a JTAHS sophomore.
In April, Conjured is launching its new Apothecary Bar.
“This bar will allow our customers to customize their products such as perfume, body oil, bath salts, face masks, beard oil, and linen spray which can all be made to suite custom requests,” Garritano Rustad said.
“We will also have a vanity station to sample all our wonderful products,” she added.
Growing up and living locally really gives Garritano Rustad a chance to connect with the local community, while also educating tourists and visitors about the town and its rich history.
She has also grown her business online, as well as connecting with local stores throughout the county that carry her products.
“I also have a few wholesale accounts,” she said. “The Inn at Jim Thorpe uses Conjured products in their suites, I have a private label line with the H. Smith Shop in Philadelphia and Tink’s Antiques in Tamaqua carries our soaps,” she said. “I also work with Truespa in Palmerton.”
When opening the store, she didn’t encountered any problems, but some unexpected expenses.
It was required that she become licensed with the Pennsylvania Department of Drugs and Devices, carry two types of insurance, and comply with the labeling guidelines and keep batch records of every product.
“I also choose to be a member of the Handmade Soap and Cosmetic Guild,” she said.
She also noted that she likes to emphasize to her customers that she is not a skincare professional.
“Conjured is not trying to take business from wonderful, full-service spas like Jim Thorpe Wellness, Truespa, or Seventh Moon,” she said.
“We offer a handmade option to bath and body products and I personally spend hours researching and weeks testing everything… I am very transparent in our ingredients and make no medical claims,” she added.
When opening the business, she knew that it wouldn’t be an overnight success and that she would have to work harder than she ever has before, and she expects to see that pay off this year.
Conjured is preparing for some upcoming events and the First Friday event in April is the launch of the Apothecary Bar.
Other notable events she has planned is her annual Christmas stocking stuffer open house with the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corp., which she said has become widely popular.
A highlight of 2018 was participating in Ru Paul’s Dragcon in New York City.
“That brought us some national recognition and new customers, and I hope to do that again this year,” she said.
While she doesn’t do a lot of advertising, she said partnering with CCEDC and the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency have been very beneficial to her company’s success.
“Being a store front in Downtown Jim Thorpe is advertisement enough. I am able to get multimedia followers every time a new person walks through the door,” she said.
The atmosphere at Conjured is a supernatural Victorian feel with a modern twist.
Garritano Rustad grew up in Jim Thorpe and currently resides in Lehighton.
She holds a degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Phoenix in Arizona.
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