At the Soap Factory in Tampa Palms, you can buy soap by the “loaf” or the “slice” or have a fun soap-making party.

It’s amazing how many new businesses keep opening in our area, considering the state of the local and national economies, but the Business Beat goes on in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, and we’re still pumping up the volume on the new and revived businesses in our distribution areas.

The Soap Factory Opens Next To Coffee Beanery

If you’re like me, you probably never thought of soap making as a possible hobby. But, after visiting the new Handcrafted Soap Factory, located in The Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms, I have to admit that I’m intrigued.

Owners Dina and Michael Good are long-time Tampa Palms residents who decided to open this unique business, which specializes in offering custom- designed soap-making parties for children and adults, as well as selling “slices” and “loaves” of soap.

“Our soap is 100-percent natural, hypo-allergenic, detergent-free and is all handmade on-site here,” Dina says. “It’s wonderful soap with great fragrances and making your own soap is a lot of fun.”

The all-natural soaps at the Soap Factory are made from glycerin, goats milk, olive oil, hemp seed, shea butter or cocoa butter as a base. You can step up to the “Soap Bar” as an individual or throw an awesome soap-making party for a birthday party, bridal shower, girls night out, parent groups, graduation and holiday parties.

If you enjoy working with your hands while keeping them soft and smooth, you will want to visit the Handcrafted Soap Factory, you’re going to become a regular customer because, as Dina says, “It’s Soap Much Fun!”

The Handcrafted Soap Factory is located at 17024 Palm Pointe Dr., in the plaza behind Olive Garden and Red Lobster in Tampa Palms. For more information, call 971-1511 or visit ShopSoapFactory.com.

Kirkland’s Now Open In Northwood Plaza

Kirkland’s, which today has more than 300 stores across the U.S. (including one in Carrollwood), has opened in the Super Target-anchored Northwood Plaza just north of County Line Rd.

Co-founded in 1966 by the company’s current Chairman Emeritus Carl Kirkland, the first store was (and the company’s headquarters is still) located in Jackson, TN, and the chain of decor & more stores has grown steadily thereafter. Kirkland’s became a publicly traded company in 2002.

There was a Kirkland’s at University Mall that Wesley Chapel store manager Carmelle Bennett managed for seven years before it ended up closing four years ago.

“We have been trying to find the right location ever since and we believe that we’ve found it,” she says. “We are so happy to be back in the neighborhood and excited to see faces of customers that I haven't seen in years!”

The new store’s Grand Opening weekend will be the weekend of December 3. “We will be having special events that include a raffle, a designer in store from noon-4, as well as other exciting games & specials,” says Bennett, who has been with Kirkland’s for 13 years and is a Corporate Trainer as well as the Store Manager.

The new Kirkland’s store is located at 1269 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and is open seven days a week. For more info, call 994-0667 or visit Kirklands.com.

Local Author Jamie Elizabeth Tingen’s Butterfly Messages!

Jamie Elizabeth Tingen, the author of a novel entitled Butterfly Messages, has played lead roles in little theater and won the Fine Arts Award in Drama from the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs for a skit she wrote, which was produced and directed for the Tampa Lakes Junior Women’s Club.

An avid and award winning photographer, Tingen has twice won the Kodak International Newspaper Snapshot award, and her work has been published in a coffee-table book, Reflections Of Tampa Bay.

Her working life has been filled with professional modeling for television and print media, and a career in real estate sales.

Having grown up in Ashland, SC, she now resides in Tampa. Tingen says that while the book is primarily a love story, secrets abound, making the book an emotionally suspenseful read.

Visit ButterflyMessages.weebly. com, where you can read an excerpt from the book, contact the author or purchase the book online. It’s avail. in soft cover or ebook Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook.