News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Soaps and Such owner and founder Kelly Bruning organizes a display at the store in downtown Alpena on Thursday. The store features bath and beauty products made as close to all-natural as possible.

ALPENA — For the last 14 years, Soaps and Such in downtown Alpena has offered its shoppers a wide variety of health and beauty products made in-house.

From soaps to candles to body creams and ointments, the small business provides products without some of the potentially harmful additives that some claim larger companies include in their products.

Kelly Bruning, owner and founder of Soaps and Such, recently moved her business downtown from Chisholm Street near Mango’s Tequila Bar just down the road to the site of the former Cedar and Threads store on the corner of Chisholm and 1st Avenue.

Bruning listed parking as one of the primary factors in her deciding to move, as there the Chisholm-1st location offers ample parking and more room to host workshops at which people can learn how to make soap, candles, bath bombs, and other items.

Bruning said her business model is less about making money and more about educating people about the health benefits of the products she formulates and the potential dangers of other products that can be purchased over the counter that contain aluminum, which some say can cause breast cancer.

“All of the products are made here, in-house, and we make everything as natural as we can make them,” she said.

Because many products address many health and beauty needs, Bruning said she and her staff are always willing to help a person who may be a touch overwhelmed. Soaps and Such provides such customers more information about the products and which one might be best for them to use.

She said she also is available for one-on-one consultation for customers, for a reasonable fee.

“Any new product that comes onboard, I train my staff to be cognizant of what the product does and how a person will benefit from it,” Bruning said. “I never put a product onto the market unless there is a benefit from it.”

In a lot of ways, the new store is very similar to the former location.

Bruning said that was intentional because she wanted her customers to feel as comfortable and welcome as they did when Soaps and Such was open just down the road.

“One of my primary goals was to create the same ambiance as what I had,” she said. “I even used the same paint colors. People will walk into a very tranquil and beautiful place, greeted by a grand chandelier and the bubbling sound from the fountains, and the shop has a very soothing feel to it.”

Bruning said her lease agreement with the building’s owner allows her to partner with other vendors to host pop-up shops in the parking lot, and she is excited to help others in the Alpena area.

“If someone wanted to sell wreaths out there next winter, the lease allows me to let them,” she said.

The dates and times of the group workshops are listed on the store’s website, soapsandsuchalpena.com.

Bruning said she also hopes to work with the Viking cruise lines in the future to offer Great Lakes cruise ship passengers who stop in Alpena an excursion at which they can participate in group workshops.

During the winter, the store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The hours will change around April 1, when the store will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.