PUEBLO — Walking down the south side of Union Avenue in Pueblo, you will notice chalk art, followed by unavoidable scents.
Words like "Free Smells" and "Handmade Soap" lead potential customers into Blue Bison Soapery, the new business that launched in December 2020.
"We’re relying mostly on foot traffic, so we did not know... Is this really working out? How much advertising do we really have to do? And we really stayed here in local groups and Facebook groups and... It was really word by mouth," said Claudia Sammer, the owner of the business, about opening during the pandemic.
Sammer is originally from Germany, but moved to America 11 years ago, and says "Colorado was the first place where I felt home".
She adopted two children in the states and all three of them suffer from different skin issues, including Eczema, a condition her daughter describes as “itchy and sweaty".
Sammer began to notice that when the family bounced back and forth from Germany to America that their skin would flare up back and the states, but be less irritated when abroad.
“I realized that it changed! Their skin changed, so it definitely got me into - OK what’s the difference, what’s in all of these soaps!”
Sammer began making her own soaps, chemical-free and using whole ingredients.
“Cutting out all of the unnecessary chemicals at all, that was what got me into making a safe product that’s safe for me, safe for my whole family… My kids, myself, but also for other people!”
Sammer now has the Blue Bison Soapery storefront to be able to share her soaps with others who may be struggling with skin conditions.
The name was inspired because Sammer says blue reminds her of the sky and she wants to "reach for the sky". She says that bison resonate with her as strong animals.
Everything in the store is manufactured in-house, including face serums, eye cream, lip balms, CBD-infused goods, and more.
Since opening, Sammer says her customers now feel like "family" and keep coming back.
You can locate Blue Bison Soapery using the map below.
