Leading the Way

Sherri Wilson knows a few things about running a business. As the owner of Lather, a small-batch and organic cosmetics company in Tanger Outlets, she has been self-employed in successful business ventures for 32 years.

Wilson and her husband ran Maroni’s Pizza Kitchen on the Square, until COVID and the extended quarantine prompted her to seek a different path in opening her own environmentally-sustainable retail cosmetics store.

The story of how Lather came into being started with a trip to the Galleria in Houston, where Wilson visited a store similar to what she would later create with Lather.

“The thing that got me really excited was the no packaging, eco-friendly part of it,” Wilson explained. “I was like, I love this. I want to do this. I inquired about doing a franchise, and they don’t do franchises in North America. So, I said, ‘I guess I’m going to have to do some research and open my own store.’ So that’s what I did.”

Wilson opened Lather — an 1,100 square foot boutique located in Suite 322 of the Tanger Outlets — on Feb. 9. Locally-owned and female-founded, Lather specializes in organic shower products that are environmentally sustainable. Everything offered in Lather is small-batch, organic and made with minimal packaging.

“My husband always told me I was a hippy,” Wilson said. “I didn’t really see myself that way until I opened the store and I’m geeking out over the whole eco-friendly part.”

Her philosophy helps to challenge the consumer mindset that has conditioned shoppers to use liquid bath products.

“I love getting in the shower and using a bar and when it’s gone, there’s nothing to throw away at the end,” she said. “It’s gone. That’s it. I feel good about that.”

Wilson recalled that in her childhood, her grandmother always bought Ivory soap, which came in recyclable cardboard boxes. “Now everything is in bottles and wrapped in plastic,” she said. “And if you buy it from Amazon, it’s in a box inside another box with all kinds of packaging and bubble wrap.”

Wilson’s eco-friendly packaging means instead of plastic wrap, she uses paper or nothing at all whenever possible. “Some of my vendors do packaging,” she said. “I always request for mine to be naked. I don’t want the packaging.”

In the few instances where Wilson must use packaging, such as the small vials in which she stores her sweet-coconut sugar scrub, she makes sure that they are sturdy enough that they can be reused. “I do have some plastic, but you can bring in your bottle and I’ll give you a discount for returning it.”

In recent decades, the idea of sustainability has been gaining more traction as business owners like Wilson make it a priority. “People think, ‘It’s just me, it’s one bottle, it’s one tube of toothpaste, it’s just one,” she said. “But if you look in your trash can, and you look at how much garbage we’re putting in the earth… I think that if everybody does a little bit, it will make a huge impact.”

This eco-friendly line of thinking applies not only to Wilson’s products, but to the fixtures in her shop as well. From the decorative, weathered tin to the antique table she refinished herself, Wilson has used recycled materials wherever possible.

Most of the bath products in Lather — from lotion bars, scrubs, bath salts, soaps, bar shampoo and conditioners — are hand-made by Wilson. Those she does not make in house are supposed by all woman-owned companies. Additionally, save for one vendor in the UK, Wilson’s products are locally-sourced in the United States.

As for advice to women business owners, Wilson said, “Don’t give up. You’re going to have way more bad days than you will good. There have been days when I’ve sat in the store eight or nine hours and not sold anything. But I’m determined. I know I have to be here. I have to keep marketing. I have to keep pouring into it, and eventually it’ll pay off.”

She also talked about how important it is for a business owner to embrace flexibility. “You can’t have only one mindset and think, ‘this is how it’s going to work.’ There are many different avenues to success.”

For example, Wilson has broadened her scope of Lather to include instore custom-mix parties for special occasions such as birthdays, showers and weddings. “Up to 10 people during the week for $30 can come in and make two products,” Wilson said. “If they want to bring in their charcuterie board and their wine, then it will be a lot of fun.”

With the exception of the custom-mixed products and bath robes, all items in Lather are available for $6. “You’re getting a hand-made product,” she said. “You’re getting something that isn’t full of chemicals and harsh ingredients. You’re getting something that’s sustainable. All that good stuff. “I feel like it’s worth it.”

Find Lather on social media at facebook.com/ Latheronline and on Instagram @latheronline, or call 737-344-8895. Lather is located at Suite 322 of Tanger Outlets San Marcos, 4015 I-35 South.

“If everybody does a little bit, it will make a huge impact.”

— Sherri Wilson, Lather