First Quarter Recap...i.e...Longest Post Ever...

Our first quarter is almost up and there has been a lot going on over here. ♥

New Site Design
A few weeks back I thought I would code a quick string of HTML, for I don't even remember what, and exploded my entire site. LuxuryLaneSoap.com was down for ten solid hours while I sat and pretended to learn CSS...After much reading and cussing, I was able to revamp and redesign LuxuryLaneSoap.com to its current version. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a quick look and do let me know if you catch any mistakes here and there. All cart systems, security and links check out...so basically I am asking if I made any major spelling errors...

New Products
First of the year sales are always pretty low. With the Holidays just getting over and taxes being...well the hell that they are...luxury soap products do not tend to be high on purchase lists. However, this opens up a little breathing room to create new products resulting in a record breaking quarter for product development! Unicorn Carousel Soap, ThunderSoap, Alliance Ration Bar, Vintage Shaving Soap, Pure Clean Whipped Moisture, Dreamsicle Delight, Lip Lovin' Butter Balm

New Newsletter
Finally! Keep up to date with all that is new at LuxuryLaneSoap.com and get sneak peeks at what is cooking in the Lane Laboratory. You can also look forward to mini tutorials from our very resourceful, yet lacking tweeter, @Rory_Lane. You can subscribe right HERE.

New Location
Luxury Lane Soap will be moving this summer! After almost half a year of searching for the right location, a new home has been found! With space to breath and room to stretch, you can look forward to a huge boom in development and production in our second half of 2011. I am currently mulling the idea of having an epic summer slumber party to thank all of you for your continued support and constant encouragement. Ideas? Shoot me an email!

What's Coming Up?
Our second quarter is going to be an interesting one... Trying to shift locations while keeping up sales is going to be intense. I mentioned earlier that I will be bumping up the marketing on twitter, facebook and tumblr to help make up the sales I may lose not being online full time. This does NOT equate SPAM. It means I am shifting to more open involvement, sharing pictures of what I am making and how it is made. If I can't sit at the computer and tweet with you all, then I am bringing you all to work with me.

More Variety
I have received a few emails stating that while the Vintage Push Up Shave Soap formula is wonderful/amazing/superb, the packaging tends to be a bit frustrating for everyday use and large area shaving. I agree it its harder to use for an entire leg, though it does work wonderfully for under arms and customers have also mentioned the size and shape is perfect for beard touch ups and travel. So, I will not be discontinuing this product for all of you who have fallen madly in love and for those looking for something larger, expect to see an additional version early second quarter.

Product Rename
Ultra Rich Organic Soap has been changed to Vegan Organics. Why? A few reasons. Firstly, it is shorter. With the new website layout, long product titles look sloppy. Secondly, you would not believe the amount of emails I receive daily asking if my soap is vegan. Yes. Yes it is. It always has been and it always will be. Do I use organic ingredients? Same answer. Yes. What about sustainable vegan organic ingredients? *nods* Yup. Sure do. "Vegan" and "Organic" and "Natural" are all heavily used buzz words nowadays and honestly, I appreciate customers who research where their products are coming from. Many companies are attaching these words to chemical crap and Luxury Lane Soap means to redefine what you expect from a high quality, natural soap.

One Last Thing...Really.
Thank you. ♥

What's happening at Luxury Lane Soap?

For the last couple of months things like blog posts, product development, hanging out and hugging has been sporadic and minimal...How come?

The house I wrote about back in October of last year? (What happened with house hunting) We cussing signed on that baby this week!! After months and months of trying to see if we could even afford a new location for our family and the business...our signatures are finally down on that magical piece of paper they call a contract.

After looking and looking for a building for Luxury Lane Soap and a separate house for us and the kids, we stumbled across a property that will combine both!! A historical mansion built in 1917...Yeah. I just said that. While searching and searching the internet for historical information on this house, we crossed this listing: Fairhill

The listing in the link above is pretty old and it isn't even linked from the original realtor's site, but you get a pretty good idea. The square footage listed is wrong and doesn't include the 990 square foot ballroom on the third floor or full basement. (YES! BALLROOM! W/ original bandstand!) That is the new Luxury Lane Soap location! A full floor to create and grow the business! FINALLY! For the last year, since Soap in Carbonite went viral, we have converted our current kitchen and dinning room into a production and shipping facility. We haven't even been able to sit down at a table together, as a family, since last summer...

We have worked so hard for this and it is finally happening, for reals! We still have thirteen more weeks until our possession date and we are in the process of selling our current home (2 story, three bedroom, 1.5 bath...interested?) So we have a crazy few months ahead of us for sure...

Unfortunately, this also means I am going to have to cut my convention tour short. I will be at StarFest this year and either GenCon or DragonCon. Though my prime goal for Fall this year is to get over to Indy to see the new Karpiuk baby! *SO EXCITED* However, I will not be joining everyone for SDCC this year. This is where I met so many of you, and having gone a full year as a friends "IRL," I really wanted to be able to connect again this summer. ANY and ALL of you are more than welcome to hop over here and help us move in June, if you'd like. :D SLUMBER PARTAY!

And for the mushy part, your favorite part... Honestly, THIS could not have happened for us without you guys. I can not even begin to express what that means to me. You all helped Luxury Lane Soap take over the internet. Really. I can't even put it into words proper like. This
is what we do for a living, we make soap. From product conception (heehee) to development to debut, you all support what we do from start to finish.

Thank you.

Our first step is to get marketing ramped up which means I will be posting more product links

and generally keeping my twitter stream business related. (But not totally *wink*) I need as much help as possible these next few months spreading the word of Luxury Lane Soap! Without convention income, we will be solely depending on online sales.

Also!! I wanted to ask all of you who have tweeted pictures of your orders, if you could be mega awesome and start getting them on the Luxury Lane Soap FB page either directly, emailing them to me or by tagging us in them. I am going to move some over that I have and if they are ones you took, please feel free to tag yourself in them!! ♥

So yes. New house, business expansion and I love you. THIS BIG! Really. I will keep everyone updated on our progress with the house as much as possible. On a personal level and business level, you are all a huge part of this and I send out mega squeezes.

Back of the house

Two Story Cottage

Inside!