CEDAR RAPIDS — A book led Wende Fugate to launch her business, Rare Bird Soap Shop, five years ago. 'I've always liked learning new things,' Fugate said, 'and my mother had given me a book on soap ...

In a warehouse on Humboldt Street — amid the buzz of conversation, footsteps going up and down stairs, and a gong going off at one point — the Soap Queen looks into the cameras and shows people how to ...

PITTSFIELD — Alessandra Carranza makes her own soaps out of mostly natural ingredients, creating multicolored products so striking that she refers to them as "my little pieces of art." She started a ...