We were lucky to catch up with Carol McEwin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carol , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

How does a person land in a certain business, at a certain time in their life, and just happen to clearly hear their muse? That question is uniquely personal and can take a lifetime to answer. For me, I credit my father. By profession he was a surgeon; by nature he was intrepid in all things. He was trained in medical chemistry, but was inspired by nature. This influence combined with my ever problematic skin and, at the very least, you have a lifetime of conversations about plant-based cause & effect. I smile every time I think of my father making soap with me. Great stuff.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Certainly- In my early years, I was a hippy and happy to live a “subsistence lifestyle”; in time however, having been married and divorced, I became a single mom blessed with 2 wonderful daughters. Although, “hippy” has it’s rewards, it didn’t pay well. About then I discovered I had an aptitude for commercial real estate. I had the good fortune to land a well-paying and intellectually challenging corporate career. Life was good, but an important thing I have learned is that everything changes. So, I retired from that world and focused on opening a natural body and facial care business.

Lilly Sage Apothecary opened in December of 2017. The intent was to provide our community with a completely unique gift shopping experience. The plan was to integrate the manufacturing, and subsequent sale, of self-branded, eco-friendly and artisan-made body care, within an elegant retail gift environment. We are unique in that our production lab is visually open in the back of the retail shop. We actually manufacture our Lilly Sage and LS.Topaz products within the same space, thus invoking a traditional apothecary (compounding remedies) experience.

I was aware that soap, as a product, has great shelf life and stability, but water-based facial cosmetics do not. Expansion into facial care required formal stability and preservation education. Enter, Formula Botanica, an accredited organic formulation college located in the United Kingdom. I have since completed the program earning several certifications. This degree program is somewhat equivalent to an associates degree in the United States. I can’t speak highly enough of their program.In 2021 we launched the LS.Topaz Botanical Skincare brand. The LS.Topaz product line is entirely facial skincare. Our two brands, Lilly Sage and LS.Topaz, are consistent in that they are exclusively composed of natural/sustainable ingredients that have been sourced from all over the world. I view them as 2 separate brands for a few reasons. It’s true, they share a color palette and both utilize organic ingredients; however, their respective brand identities are unique. Lilly Sage is based on clean-ingredient soap and related body care production. It’s a playful, family oriented brand; whereas, LS.Topaz is elegant and sophisticated. Its ideal customer is an educated working adult who prefers effective organic, sustainability produced, age-defying facial care. Both brands were created by Lilly Sage LLC, but each has a unique website, as well as, social media presence (links below).

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Just like everyone else, COVID. We had to get creative and pivot. We had a lease and employees to hold on to. We did cut back where we could but closing was not an option. So, I called our City Hall and asked, “We make soap and hand sanitizer. Can we stay open?” They said yes and encouraged us. As it turns out, we sold lots of soap and sanitizer. Having said that, it was a very scary time. Please know, the “shop local” campaign kept us alive. If you care about your village, please remember your patronage matters. Profound experience, yes, but let’s don’t do it again!

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Side hustle? LOL, kinda but no. Lilly Sage reflects a culmination of experiences and influences that span my entire life. As I said before, I have always loved elegant bath & body care. I made soap, but I hadn’t attempt selling it. So, I needed a strategy. Moreover, the initial business plan anticipated and expansion into facial products; however, it could not be achieved in a vacuum. I needed feedback from real people. A clever & cute little gift shop located in historic Roswell, Georgia was the perfect disguise, a.k.a opportunity. We like to say that our gift shop was built to feature the Lilly Sage brands. Our products are complimented by, and surrounded with, a variety of fine-living gifts, i.e. candles, décor and scent-forward items. The sale of the upscale gifts afforded us the perfect opportunity to finance the development of the LS.Topaz Botanical Skincare. And yes, as it turns out, we had built the ideal testing opportunity. Goal accomplished – the proverbial two birds… as it were.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lillysageapothecary.com/ AND https://lstopaz.com/
• Instagram: @lillysageapothecary @LS.Topaz
• Facebook: facebook.com/LillySageApothecary facebook.com/LS.TopazBotanical
• Other: We have 2 websites, 2 instagram and facebook profiles. One for each Lilly Sage (bath & body, and gift shop) and LS.Topaz (skincare).