Riverdance soaps clean sweep

Riverdance Soapworks owner Deb Petersen began making soap with a friend in 1991 while living on a big farm in Eatonville, Washington. Not knowing there were contemporary books on the subject, she and her friend, Rita, found themselves following her grandmother's recipe as recollected by her aunt.

The recipe called for “coffee cans full” of this, and that. With lots of room for interpretation in this recipe, (and plenty of room for improvement) the two turned to the library to find soap making books. Being a single mom, Deb found herself moving back to the Hood Canal area, working for the local school district and making soap on the side. Eventually she was able to leave her job and focus on soapmaking full time.

The name Riverdance came from owner Deb’s love for the Skokomish River, which she refers to as her sanctuary and her church, and where she’s occasionally inspired to dance.

Riverdance has leased a warehouse in Shelton since 2003 where they make soaps, skin care products, body butter and more. The Riverdance team put lots of love into their work, and they consistently create and develop new products to sell.