Introducing the People
who Bring Local Foods
& Products to the Co-op
Island Soap, Gifts and Gallery
Patricia Arvidson’s gift shop, redolent of essential oils, delights the eye with an array of beautiful items. These include colorful greeting cards and handmade soaps decoratively wrapped using Patricia’s precisely drawn labels. Patricia has been creating handmade soap for 25 years.
Her journey as a soap maker started as a hobby but turned into a small business when her daughter was born and she wanted a way to support her family from home. Over the years, Patricia has developed dozens of soap varieties, some which use local ingredients such as “Clam Flat Clay.” Carefully wrapped in paper with hand-drawn labels, each bar of soap is a work of art in itself. In addition to creating beautiful soaps, Patricia is also an artist who works in colored pencils and oil paints.
Patricia sells her soaps to a variety of wholesale markets and gift shops in the state, including the Blue Hill Co-op. She also attends farmers’ markets in Blue Hill, Stonington and Brooksville and has a small mail-order business as well.
The best place to experience Patricia’s artwork and to see all the varieties of soap is to visit her gift shop in Brooksville. Located on the Bagaduce Road just a half a mile off Route 15, you will see the green building on the left that used to be a country store. The shop is open every day by chance or appointment.
