Ruby+Begonia opens the doors of its new location

• COURTESY PHOTO

With a snip, the red ribbon fell and the new location for Ruby+Begonia was officially opened.

The owner, Sabrina Vaseleck, wiped tears of joy as she addressed the people in the store, many of them a close friend or family member who supports her, “I truly am thankful for each and every one of you.”

Vaseleck has been creating luxury soaps, lotions, bath bombs, and more after her mother passed away from cancer.

“After my mom passed, I rented this little house– just me– that was down in wine country and it was surrounded by goats and I thought, ‘Well, that’s the perfect place for me to go away and kind of heal.’” Vaseleck said. “I read books on how to make different soaps, different candles and I just jumped into it. This is what I just poured my heart into. It kind of filled a hole.”

Throughout the years of creating products and starting up the business, Vaseleck expressed that there were many times that she didn’t feel it would work out, “Literally this morning, I woke up and thought ‘This is a terrible idea’. I try to be very transparent with customers and sometimes the product doesn’t turn out great, but I tell them I’ll research more, make it better, and hopefully they give me another shot.”

Even though the new location just opened, Vaseleck is already thinking of fun things to do to expand and attract more customers. They’re currently working on another room in the shop, where they’d eventually like to open it up as a ‘crafting room’ and host parties for candle-making or soap-making. Vaseleck said she’s also starting a ‘happy box’ subscription, in which she sends exclusive goodies to the subscribers.

“I just hope that when people come in, my main goal is that they feel happy,” Vaseleck said. “We’re not just about our products. We want them to feel joyful, happy, celebrated, colorful, and vibrant.”

Rose+Begonia’s new location is at 207 N. Madison in downtown Mount Pleasant. Business hours are 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to Friday. On Saturdays, the store is open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. and closed on Sundays.