08/02/2026
It's a beautiful honor to be included in AY Magazine's Faces of Hot Springs for 2026!
I opened downtown in 2009, during the uncertainty of the Great Recession. I was in my mid-twenties, had $700 to my name, 10 years of hobby soapmaking supplies, and a family to feed.
I would ride the city bus in to open Bathhouse Soapery, held onto a part-time job in leasing and real estate (just in case), and spent many midnights on the 100 block making soaps and mixing cosmetics (🍸margaritas at 🕰 midnight would have been beyond a luxury).
There were visionaries before me who laid the foundation of downtown Hot Springs, and today there are countless entrepreneurs, artists, developers, and dreamers continuing to write the next chapter of our manifesto.
I'm grateful to have been part of that wave of belief.
To be recognized for contributing to the renaissance of downtown—and after the unexpected honor of being named an Influencer of the Year earlier this year—is something that I wouldn't have believed for myself then and stumble on now.
It's been awe-inspiring watching a city rediscover itself, one storefront, one conversation, and one leap of faith at a time.
Here's to everyone who chose to believe in Hot Springs when it wasn't always as easy and to those, like my own daughter, who continue to carry the torch today.
P.S. A very special stand out in the article is seeing our twisted sister, Villainess Alchemy 's, new address on Ouachita Ave. I am so excited to be part of Ouachita's continued glow-up too.
Full feature article link in the comments. Thank you AY Magazine.
