Hey There, Sud Muffin

Locally or on your travels, you may have seen silly little soaps for sale. Some carry a town name or a state bird. Others have sassy labels like “Soaps for Old Farts,” “Raisin’ Cain Scrub,” “Morning Wood,” “Badass Babes” and more. So, what’s the dirt? They’re a project that benefits The Moore County Historical Association. Operating since 2008 under Vintage Soap Works, the Association has placed the triple-milled bars in more than 500 retailers in 28 states.

The bars are made by the eco-friendly, Raleigh-based Greenwich Bay Trading Company, which has also made white label products for companies like Burts Bees. It just so happened that company owner Richard Huntwork retired to Pinehurst, and the project began after he brought some samples by the historic Shaw House in Southern Pines.

Sue Pockmire and Sarah Matthews run the whole operation out of the historic Shaw House. Sue, a graphic designer by trade, handles the creative side and designs all the labels. Why be sassy? Because it sells. Ask us how we know.

“We have fun with it,” laughs Sue. “I’m always thinking of new label ideas. You can only do so many badasses.”

“The soap itself is wonderful, but we’ve found that people are buying it for the label as a hostess gift, or souvenir or gag gift,” says Sarah (right). “They’re like a postcard.” She handles the admin and accounting side and, with the occasional help of volunteers, hand wraps each bar of soap. Around 35,000 bars are processed each year.

“Being able to generate revenue for the Moore County Historical Association is the main objective,” she says. “It takes a lot of money to keep roofs on these old houses.” See all the labels here.