Spring greetings from rainy and cool northeast Ohio!
It seems that spring, with fresh promise and new beginnings, is the time to announce major changes at Oldtimer & Lily.
After much internal debate, we have decided to discontinue the sale of soaping fragrances and supplies. Without going into all the details of that internal debate, let me just say that my personal fascination with fragrance is still alive and well. And though we cannot completely blame the poor US economy for this decision, it has to be a factor behind the general ennui that seems to have affected soap and fragrance sales, as well as discussions of soapmaking on the lists. The basics for us - sales are down, supplier choices are many (the big guys are still the big guys), and it seems the signs have just pointed to the idea that it’s time to wind down the supply sales.
We are in the process of updating the website to reflect the “inventory clearance” prices on fragrances. If you choose to order before the update is complete, we will take 20% off your total (before shipping costs). Also, we may have trouble updating the fragrance inventory to reflect accurately what’s on hand. Please bear in mind with your orders that we may not be able to provide everything you request. Once any particular fragrance is gone - it’s gone. We will not be restocking. We have already removed a couple of the butters from the site, and will not be restocking those for bulk sales, either.
Around May 1, we will close our credit card processing account and will no longer accept credit cards, making Paypal your only option after May 1 (and remember - you MUST return to the Oldtimer & Lily website after making a Paypal payment, or your order is lost in the ether!). As we wind down the business, we will be including extras in each box - each order for fragrance oils will receive at least a free 2 ounce bottle of a fragrance of our choosing.
As much as I love fragrance, I love soapmaking even more and will probably be playing in the soap room when I’m an old lady trundling back and forth to my rocking chair. I have no doubt I will continue to combine scents looking for the new aha! My daughters will never allow me to stop making their favorite lotions and lip balms. Eventually, the Oldtimer & Lily site will probably transition to a place to sell soaps, lotions, and balms at retail only. At that time, we’ll upgrade with more actual photos of the bars, and better descriptions.
To all of you faithful supply buyers - you will never know how much you’ve been appreciated. You kept me going through some tough times, and your individual quests for the best, the latest, and the dependable have been true inspiration to me. Perhaps I won’t say good-bye forever to fragrance, but for the time being, please wish me well as I prepare to travel frequently to see young granddaughters, and leave the computer monitor behind.
Sue Kurowski (aka Lily)
PS: US orders only - sorry. It has become increasingly difficult to ship even within the US. Thanks for understanding.
