Nashville Tennessean - Katie DixonBuff City Soap opens in Gallatin, more stores planned for Middle Tennessee
Looking for an all-natural, handmade soap? There's a new business for that in Gallatin.
“We’re excited to continue our growth within the Nashville market by opening a new Soap Makery in my hometown,” said Tim Chaffin, a Sumner County-native and franchise owner. His new shop opened last week at 624 Davis Drive. “Buff City Soap provides completely unique soap products, and we are looking forward to sharing our plant-based soaps, bath bombs and more with the Gallatin community.”
Within the last year, Buff City Soap locations have been sprouting up across Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and, now, Tennessee. Between these states, Chaffin and his colleagues plan to build around 250 locations, with 40 store openings planned this year and an additional 70 store openings planned in 2022.
Ending last year with 20 stores, the group is steadily doubling their store count from one year to the next. “(Opening) 70 stores in one year is really, really hard but we think we can do it,” he said. “As a company, we know how to scale, we know how to grow things quickly (and) we know how to put the processes in place, so I think we can get there.”
Ingredient conscious
Chaffin admits part of the success he’s experienced with Buff City Soap is due to the pandemic’s effects on people's heightened awareness toward cleanliness – products the brand exclusively caters too. “The thing about Buff City Soap that’s amazing is that people love it and they love it because it’s actually a really good product. It’s good for your skin. It’s all natural,” he said. “You just can’t go wrong.”
Founded in 2013 out of frustration by commercial soap’s harsh chemicals, detergents and animal fats, Buff City Soap handcrafts their soaps in-store daily with local soap artisans using natural ingredients. Skincare products containing harsh ingredients and synthetic chemicals can have damaging effects on human skin and the environment, potentially harming animals and plants, according to the company. Using natural ingredients primarily sourced from the United States, Buff City Soap handmakes all its products in their Bartlett, Tenn. soap bakery and product factory - never testing on animals.
“Our customers love the transparency of our soap-making process because it’s the magic behind the Buff City Soap experience,” Chaffin said. “When they walk into our stores, they can select any fragrance to include ... and watch our soap makers handcraft it right before their eyes.”
Branching out
A local since 2005, Chaffin began franchising Buff City Soap last year and opened Middle Tennessee’s first store in Hendersonville. Middle Tennessee’s third Buff City Soap location opened in Hermitage this week, with a Franklin location to come later in April and a Green Hills location expected in July. “Other areas we may be focusing on would be Brentwood, Spring Hill, Smyrna, Mt. Juliet, Lebanon and Greater Nashville,” Chaffin said, adding that finding a good location in Nashville proper has been difficult.
In addition to the Gallatin Buff City Soap location, Chaffin also owns the Hendersonville Buff City Soap location, Sun Tan City and several local pizza restaurants, including Sanders Ferry Pizza and Pub in Hendersonville and Fairvue Pizza and Pub in Gallatin. Chaffin franchises other brands like Planet Fitness with roughly 40 locations throughout Kentucky and Indiana.
Having been with the same group since he was 19, Chaffin began his entrepreneurial career working for a family-owned video store business and sought partial ownership of two stores. More than 30 years later, he’s still working with the same people, building brands and franchising. “We have a majority owner and a lot of minority owners and we all work well together,” he said. “We find good brands, and we build them. It’s exciting.”
Coming soon to Buff City
Things to come for the Buff City brand include liquid laundry soap, air fresheners, body sprays and candles, among other products. Chaffin hopes to see them all on store shelves soon. Bath bomb making and soap-making parties – a hit among many established customers in other markets – are also set to reappear in stores later this year.
For more information visit www.buffcitysoap.com.
