We have more reason now to spend time on the East End of Main Street, specifically in the newest stretch just below Main Street that runs parallel to the old train tracks following the Fishkill Creek. SallyeAnder, the maker of all-natural, handmade soaps since 1982, with the products currently sold in over 2,000 stores nationwide, has opened their first flagship location at 1 East Main St., with a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting planned for Saturday, June 17, 2017.

While this location is the very first retail operation for the company, it is not their first location in Beacon or the Hudson Valley. In fact, their warehouse relocated to Beacon years ago, to the building on Beekman Street that also has the business home to BCAP, 2 Way Brewery and previously to Sweet Ambs. Says Sallie Austin, second-generation owner of SallyeAnder, wife, and mother of two, about the opening of the retail store: “We are so delighted to make our home here in the beautiful Hudson Valley, where people truly embrace opportunities to source products locally and to do their part to protect our Earth.”

The opening event will include live music, soapmaking demonstrations, and a soap-wrapping contest perfect for kids and families. There will also be food, beverages, and more. This event is free of charge and open to the public. “We want to build a movement for the next generation that will help them understand the importance of using all-natural, handmade products like our soaps. Not only is it the right thing to do for our environment, but it is the right thing to do for their bodies,” says Austin.

What Makes These Soaps Special?

“My mother and father, Karen and Gary Austin, first developed a line of handmade soap products after my brother was born. The demand for all-natural, hypoallergenic soaps has grown exponentially as people discover that conditions like eczema and issues with chronic dry skin or under-eye puffiness can be managed with natural ingredients, and as people do what they can to align their purchases with their sense of social responsibility." The creation of SallyeAnder's “No-Bite-Me” soap has been a hit with customers, as it aims to help prevent Lyme Disease by keeping ticks away, which is a really big deal for Hudson Valley residents.

SallyeAnder has a particularly beautiful scent for their soaps with roses mixed in, which can be traced back to the first-generation owner - Sallie's father - growing his own roses in the upstate New York town of Minneto, where the family began making soaps. SallyeAnder also has an ongoing relationship with Common Ground Farm, located on nine acres leased from the Stony Kill Environmental Center in Wappingers Falls, which cultivates some of the natural ingredients used in SallyeAnder's line of soaps.

Beacon As The Soap-Making Capital Of The World! Ok, Of The Hudson Valley

With shops like Beacon Bath & Bubble, and boutiques that also include handmade soap in their stock like ReMADE and Dream in Plastic, to name a few, is there room for more? Of course there is!! Personally speaking, I made the switch from commercial soap to handmade soap nine years ago and have never looked back. I get my soap from a few different Hudson Valley soap makers. That's the beauty of handmade soap: There's a beautiful selection of different producers to choose from, and we're always thrilled to learn of a new soap maker. Recognizing that there are several skin-care sources right here on Main Street, Beacon, we at A Little Beacon Blog created a new section in our Shopping Guide called "Bath & Body" so you can also get your soapy fix.

Join the SallyeAnder family on Saturday, June 17, from noon to 6 pm at 1 East Main Street in Beacon and welcome them to the neighborhood!