By Jennifer Hall
St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
SAVANNAH, Mo.
Like a lot of homemade remedies, Cheryl Mitchell’s all-natural soaps and lotions came out of necessity. The entrepreneur had reactions to most store-bought products and began researching how to make her own. Through the process she discovered a great business model that is now Miss Doyle’s Soapery.
The store opened recently on the square in Savannah at 108 S. Fifth St.
Ms. Mitchell offers everything from candles and wax melts to soaps, soaks and scrubs. There also are oils, lotions and body washes. She uses lye soaps and magnesium for healing properties, too.
“We just started making more and more and it became kind of a hobby,” Ms. Mitchell said. “And people wanted them. The next thing we knew it became a business.”
The shop is affectionately named after her husband Robert’s grandmother, Doyle. The couple named their daughter Emma Doyle.
But it was during her time living in Texas that the mother of three discovered another niche market — deer urine. Hunting friends of her husband, Robert, asked Ms. Mitchell about creating a product that could be used in the fields. While the idea was a bit foreign to her, she experimented and developed a product that has been featured at trade shows around the country.
Wild Game Drops started in 2012 and features a variety of 100 percent biodegradable attractants and cover scents. Ms. Mitchell said that most hunters are environmentally friendly and enjoy the idea of using green products in the field.
The Wild Game Drops are patent pending and are soy wax emulsified with whitetail deer and hog urine. Their “cover scents” use essential oils to create dirt, pine, cedar and combinations of the three.
“It’s no mess and it’s biodegradable,” Ms. Mitchell said.
The company does nothing with chemicals. Even some neutralizers are vegetable based. They also have a few dealers across the United States selling Wild Game Drops and all of their products are available for purchase online.
Ms. Mitchell may not be a scientist, but she believes in her research. She has a bachelor’s degree in business and is about a year away from being an herbalist.
“I am not an expert by any means,” she said. “But we have done enough research in the industry, using the natural side of products.”
There’s even a “funky fish wash” to rid fishermen of the smells of their catch. The all-natural product can be used in the water and won’t put off any chemicals.
The business is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call (816) 324-0101.
