Soap makers continue community-driven focus - The Morehead News - Morehead News

Things are moving right along at MKM Soap!

Craig and Susan Riggsby established MKM Soap, which stands for “Morehead Kentucky Made” in 2013.

The couple began their business by making soap in their garage and allowing it to dry in their loft, but have since purchased the land that was once the Haldeman Brickyard and are bringing their business to that area off KY 174.

A year ago, the first of three buildings was installed. Each building serves a purpose: one being the factory, one the store, and the other the curing shed. Each building has been installed, and the couple is gearing up to begin making soap in their new factory by February.

The couple intends to sell their homemade soap at the shop, and locally made products from other artists in the community.

Craig says with the community center right down the street, he is hoping to create a place where people can bring their families and spend the day.

Along with the shop, the couple also plans to have a brickyard museum, a pavilion for live music and live animals for children to pet.

Those projects will begin once the factory is up and running.

Guests of the shop will be able to watch Craig make soap in the factory. A partition allows there to be a separate air source from the factory so guests can safely view the process.

Craig adds five oils to a mix of water and lye, and then pours the mixture into a mold and allows it to gel.

The soap cures in an average of four weeks. He says the more sugar that is in the soap, the longer it takes to cure.

Craig typically makes 12 bars in each batch, and can make nearly 300 bars in a day.

He says being ready for what people will want a month in advance is the biggest challenge.

The Riggsbys only use fragrance oils in their soaps. They do not use essential oils or dyes.

MKM Soap is currently selling their products at Holbrook Drug and Peddler’s Mall.

Along with soap, the couple also sells gourd products, laundry soap, popcorn and other snacks, and Soapbox Willy flop hats, which resemble those that moonshiners used to wear.

Moonshiners would use their hat as filters for their product, which would eventually rot out the top.

All construction work completed at MKM Soap has been done by local individuals and businesses, including Tug Boat Tom Handyman Service, Bowman’s Seasonal Conmfort, On-Site Electric, LLC, JB Enterprises, and John’s Kustom Trophy.

The couple to date has invested nearly $250,000 in their business, and they say they are 90 percent complete.

A ceremonial grand opening is tentatively scheduled for June 2018.

For more information, visit www.mkmsoap.com.

Megan Smedley can be reached at msmedley@themoreheadnews.com or by telephone at 784-4116.

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