TOOLING AROUND TOWN, 1

I'm getting to know my new town of Bremerton, WA, and thought maybe you might like to get to know it right along with me? Why? Well, because this is rather an interesting town. When people think of Bremerton they usually think of a naval town that houses a huge shipyard, but there's more to it, and Bremtonians are working hard to make this town the kind of place someone nice like you might want to come visit... or even move to. 

As Gerhardt and I wandered around a couple of weeks ago, I discovered all kinds of interesting shops run by people who want to make a difference. F.R.O.G. Soap is one such shop. Owned by Laura Kneib, this little shop offers soaps and creams made from recycled oil. And let me tell you, their foot cream smells fabulous.

Laura opened her business in 2012. She says she was at a local restaurant and saw a man emptying his French fry deep fryer and thought, "I could make some soap from that." And lo and behold, a business was born. It took reading some chemistry books and doing a lot of experimentation before she had a product worthy of consumer dollars. Laura says early batches of soap looked like "demented oatmeal" but she persisted, and now her business is a finalist in Kitsap Bank's edg3 FUND competition (finalist takes away $20,000). 

So, where does Laura get the oil for her soap? From local restaurants, including the one at Bremerton's historic Admiral Theater. The theater is a non-profit and housing oil and then paying someone to haul it away cut into profits. Giving their oil to Laura is a win-win for everyone. And a win for our environment. One bar of soap equals a quarter pound. Think of 1 bar of soap getting used in every house in Kitsap County - that's tons of oil saved from the landfill. Laura also uses recycled cardboard for wrapping her soap and shredded paper for her gift baskets. Go Laura! 

I'm happy I had a chance to meet this nice lady who's doing her part to make a difference in her community. Bremerton is the place to be.