Sharing Successes: Olive Tree Body Care

A few months ago when Shop Small Fort Worth was just getting started, we could not have imagined the amazing and positive feedback we’ve gotten from local makers and community members alike. With a Facebook group of 4,000 women and growing, along with our Facebook and Instagram pages, the Shop Small platform has made a huge difference for many business owners and greater awareness of their business and offerings. One maker, Erin Lea of Olive Tree Body Care, shares her story of how Shop Small Fort Worth has changed her business for the better.

I founded Olive Tree Body Care in 2011, driven by a desire to offer my friends and family a safer, gentler solution to their skin problems. My product platform is based on botanical and mineral ingredients that are safe for sensitive skin and environmentally friendly. I have developed and grown my product line over the last five years, and I have had a loyal following, spread largely by word of mouth.

I first met Whitney Howell when she applied to be a vendor at my annual holiday market last fall. I was impressed by her entrepreneurial spirit, her eye for design, and her boundless energy. Several months later, Whitney invited me to join her Facebook group, Shop Small Fort Worth (SSFW). I loved the idea of a using social media to connect Fort Worth small business owners, so I jumped on board. I quickly realized that SSFW was a great place to shop for unique products from an amazing group of women! It was also a wonderful venue to increase Olive Tree’s exposure.

Olive Tree Body Care Display at University Car Wash and Oil Service

Within a month of joining SSFW, a local salon owner had discovered my products and began stocking them in her store. A month later I was participating in a SSFW Pop-up at the University Car Wash, and the owner expressed an interest in carrying my product line in his gift shop. The car wash now stocks a large variety of Olive Tree products, from pet care to baby products, deodorants, and body balms. That same month the Renaissance Worthington Hotel began purchasing my products for their Fort Worth-themed gift baskets. This week I was asked to provide the soaps for the contestants of the Miss Texas Pageant.

Olive Tree Body Care products for the Miss Texas Pageant.

Shop Small Fort Worth has provided the perfect venue for advertising my Olive Tree product line, networking with businesses who wish to carry locally made goods, and supporting other Fort Worth artists and artisans. Through Shop Small Fort Worth, Whitney has truly fostered a community committed to shopping local and shopping small. And for that I am grateful!

And Erin, we are grateful for you! Without your expertise, organization kindness and willingness to lend a hand, our Fall Market would not have been the success it was. Want to learn more about Olive Tree Body Care and see their product offerings, visit their site here: http://www.olivetreebodycare.com/.