The Soap Opera

Owner: Judy Zimmer

Address: 21 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville 72701

Telephone: 444-6366

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Start-Up: July 1996

If allergies or environmental concerns keep you from using some of today’s top fragrances and bath products, The Soap Opera uses unscented/uncolored bases to its blend of lotions, gels, shampoos and soaps.

Owner Judy Zimmer said her daughter for years was unable to use any commercial bath product or perfume because of her severe allergies. While her daughter was in college in northern California, two chemists at her university developed these bath products using hypoallergenic/biodegradable materials. She says the key to these being used by those with allergies is the absence of alcohol.

“My daughter came home and was so excited I just got swept up in it,” Zimmer says.

The Bathing Game, Zimmer’s first incarnation in the bathing business, started with one cart in a local mall. She says the products became so popular she ended up opening locations in three southern California malls.

She said it became increasingly hard to compete with the national chains at the mall and her husband John’s first retirement from 30 years of brokerage resulted in them joining other family members in Northwest Arkansas.

Last July, Zimmer started The Soap Opera, operating inside The Source. She says the business kept growing, so she relocated to downtown Fayetteville.

“We just got too big so we had to move,” she says.

Each bath product can be colored to match bathroom decor and scented to the customer’s specific need. The scents range from traditional strawberry and vanilla to the Evil Twins (it is a soap opera) like CK-One, Passion and White Linen.

The Soap Opera also makes gift baskets for all occasions, has free delivery in Fayetteville and will ship its products anywhere.