Sterling woman’s Pirate Mom Soapworks sails into Shoppes at Grandon

STERLING — With a fierce spirit guiding her hand at the helm, Crystal Boehm has officially dropped anchor in Sterling with Pirate Mom Soapworks, her handcrafted soap and skincare business now located in the Shoppes at Grandon Plaza.

“There’s two parts to it,” Boehm said of her shop’s name. “I have five boys at home, and none of them have the same personality. The joke with all of our friends, because they are such strong-spirited kids, is that they are the five little pirates. So I’m the pirate mom.”

Boehm’s pirate persona goes back decades.

“When I was in college, I would take acting classes, and we always had to have this alternate persona… I was a pirate," Boehm said. “My parents owned parrots, so I would have my parrot baby with me all the time. So it was something that has stuck over 30 years.”

Pirate Mom Soapworks officially launched in 2019 from Boehm’s home.

“At first, it started as a hobby,” Boehm said. “But then people started reaching out and telling me they preferred homemade soap to store-bought soap… I found out that what you buy in the store is not considered real soap. It’s considered a body detergent."

Boehm said the handmade soap has helped her family and several repeat customers with their skin issues.

“People kept coming back and telling me that’s the only soap that they can use,” Boehm said.

Her journey to the Grandon Plaza at 310 Second Ave., Sterling, was fueled by community encouragement and a network of fellow makers. Over several months, Boehm was approached by numerous people at craft shows who handed her business cards and suggested that her products would be a perfect fit for the Shoppes at Grandon.

One of those connections was Sarah Coyle, owner of Amber + Smoke + Botanical Skincare + More, a fellow vendor Boehm had met at various events.

After pulling Coyle aside to learn more about the opportunity, Boehm began seriously considering the move. She eventually persuaded her husband to support the idea.

“I kind of twisted my husband’s arm a little bit,” Boehm said. ”I was like, ‘This is what we’ve been wanting to do, to open a steady place to put our product.’”

For the last three years, Boehm has been selling her products at craft shows nearly every weekend.

“I did a lot of traveling. I’ve met a lot of really awesome people too. I love making soap. I love what I do,” Boehm said. “People coming up and saying, ‘My skin is comfortable now because they couldn’t use anything else,’ absolutely thrills me.”

But the learning curve has not always been as smooth as her customer’s skin.

“I learned to make soap from books, YouTube and trial and error,” Boehm said. “I have messed up batches of soap and learned from that. It happens. Is it discouraging? Yes, it is. But I’ve had to muscle through… because it’s chemistry.”

Now at her new space, Pirate Mom Soapworks is offering more than just soap.

“We make handmade vegan bar soaps. We also make our own liquid soap,” Boehm said. ”It’s not a third-party base. We make it 100% ourselves. I’m expanding the recipes because I am meeting more people with coconut allergies, so I started making rice bran bars… so that people with coconut allergies can buy bar soap.”

Boehm’s product line also includes lotion sticks, body butter, magnesium balms, beard oils and body oils, and shower steamers — all handmade. Boehm also sells her products online at piratemomsoapworks.com.

While the current setup gives Boehm space to grow and ship, she is already thinking ahead.

“We would love our own brick-and-mortar store, where we could have production in the back and sales up front,” Boehm said. “With the theme of the shop, we’ll be bringing in pirate hats and merchandise… it’s a little quirky, but it’s fun.”

The store’s hours are regularly posted for the month on the Sterling Main Street website at sterlingmainstreet.org. For more information, contact Boehm at 815-409-0268 or piratemomsoapworks@gmail.com.