After years of selling her products at markets and through other retailers, Amy Searle has taken the plunge and opened her own shop, Savon Natural Products.
When the Chronicle visited, it was Ms Searle's third day of trading and she had been "flat out" with stock flying out the door.
Ms Searle has been making natural soaps and creams for 15 years and has a large following for products such as her healing kawakawa cream.
"It started when my kids were young," Ms Searle said.
"When she was one, my daughter Paris developed eczema and I started making calendula cream from my mum's recipe. It's grown from there and many people will know me as 'the soap lady' from the Whanganui River Traders Market."