On a quiet stretch of Fifth Street in downtown Bremerton, a small soap shop is proving how much impact a single business can make when sustainability, creativity, and community come first.
F.R.O.G. Soap—an acronym for “From Reclaimed Oil and Glycerin”—has become a beloved local brand under owners Andi Buescher and Greg Stanek, who took over after the retirement of founder Laura Kneib in 2023.
From Fryer Oil to Farmer’s Markets
F.R.O.G. Soap began with a moment of curiosity.
“It was founded by Laura Kneib,” Buescher said. “The story she always told me was she was out to eat, I believe, at Hound and Bottle in Manette, and she saw someone walk past with a vat of fryer oil. Like, to dump or something. And she wondered, ‘Oh, I wonder if I could make soap with that’.”
What followed was more than a year of experimentation as Kneib developed a stable recipe using reclaimed fryer oil. At first, she made soap out of her home and sold it at farmers markets. Demand grew, and eventually she moved into a storefront in Bremerton
By 2023, Kneib was ready to retire and relocate to Maine. After reviewing several prospective buyers, she chose Buescher—her longtime employee—and Stanek to take the reins. The transition happened almost overnight.
“We closed on the business deal, I think we made an offer, and a week later we closed, and the next day she left. It was really, really fast,” Buescher said.
Stewardship Over a Brand
Picking up where Kneib left off was equal parts honor and challenge. F.R.O.G. Soap wasn’t just a retail shop—it was a community fixture. For Buescher and Stanek, taking ownership meant preserving that spirit.
“I don’t know that it would still be here if we hadn’t taken over because [Laura] had a few other offers, but she was really picky about who would take it over,” Buescher said. “I think because she wanted to maintain the integrity of the brand. And she trusted me to do that.”
Stanek, who came from a more structured work environment, found small business ownership both exciting and overwhelming.
“I had autonomy [before], but this just feels so open-ended, so that can sometimes be a struggle when you’re like, there are 100 things we want to do,” he said. “Which one should we really work on?”
And the transition wasn’t without hiccups.
Buescher explained that while Kneib had built an amazing product and a strong foundation for the business, she had focused primarily on the craft itself rather than the business side. As a result, Buescher and Stanek spent the first couple of years gathering records and data to better understand sales trends and operations.
A Low-Waste Mission
Sustainability has always been part of F.R.O.G. Soap’s DNA, but under new ownership, that messaging has become even clearer.
“We’ve really tried to make (sustainability) more a part of our messaging,” Stanek said. “That’s a huge part of the brand.”
The shop encourages customers to refill their own containers—a win for both the environment and their budgets.
“That saves us money. So we save money, we can save you money,” Buescher explained.
She also makes it clear that customers don’t need to be perfect to make an impact.
“You can’t be completely zero waste, so just focus on reducing your waste a little bit.”
Polishing the Brand
Buescher and Stanek also gave the shop a visual refresh, standardizing its look while keeping its quirky, grassroots charm.
“The biggest two that jump to mind is, we changed the logo and came up with some branding; we have official colors and fonts,” he said. “And then because of that, all of the labels changed and are more uniform and consistent.”
Products that no longer sold well have been phased out—unless customers want to special-order a full batch. Meanwhile, the core lineup has expanded into body bars, shampoo bars, dish soap blocks named “the brick”, lotions, shower steamers, calendula cream, hydrosols, and more.
Local Products, Local People
At F.R.O.G. Soap, customers aren’t just shoppers—they’re collaborators.
“You know, we’re not a large corporation,” Stanek said. “If I call—who makes soap anymore?—Dove, right? And I’m like, ‘I want you to make it this way,’ they don’t have the bandwidth to care about you, right? But we do, and so we can respond to the community.”
One request led Stanek to build a custom soap mold out of cardstock.
“A lady came in, I think she was with a real estate company, and she wanted a soap with a thunderbolt in it, and Greg built a mold out of card stock,” Buescher said. “We were able to do that for her.”
For others, F.R.O.G. Soap has become more than a brand—it’s a solution.
“I’ve got a guy that came in, he’s in his 70s, he’s like, ‘This is the only soap I’ve ever used in my life that hasn’t made my skin break out,’” Buescher said. “And then he sent some to his sister in Michigan, and now she orders it online all the time.”
Even physicians have taken note.
“I’ve had people come in say, ‘My doctor told me to come here and get your calendula cream’,” Stanek said.
The Realities of Small Business
Like many small shops, F.R.O.G. Soap is not immune to economic slowdowns or uncertainty.
“There were a lot of records we didn’t have,” Buescher said, reflecting on the early months. “So we had to collect data for the first couple years and figure out what actually does sell.”
“One of the biggest things I had to overcome was being used to operating in a box—knowing what I could and couldn’t do,” Stanek said. There are 100 things we want to do. Which one should we really work on? That’s definitely been a stress.”
But the community is their favorite part of running the store. It keeps them grounded and moving forward.
“Connecting with all the customers that come in our regulars, our community,” she said. “And then our neighbors like Bob the hat shop on the corner, and Ruben the barber. Getting to know like your neighbors, that’s really rewarding.”
A Shop with a Civic Heart
F.R.O.G. Soap is deeply embedded in Bremerton’s community fabric. The owners regularly donate baskets for fundraisers, display neighborhood posters, and participate in local events.
“We put together baskets for a lot of organizations, like for their auctions, to raise money,” Stanek said.
The shop takes part in Bremerton traditions like First Friday, Krampusnacht, and its popular September–October soap carving contest.
“This year we’re going to have a booth at Krampusnacht and we’ve been making specialty Krampus soaps,” Stanek said.
Buescher, who is completing studies at the University of Washington, is eager to expand involvement even further once her schedule allows.
“When that’s done, I’m really looking forward to being more involved in my community.”
Powered by Partnerships
Collaboration isn’t just a community value—it’s baked into the products themselves.
“We did like a beer soap series when we first took over, getting beer from local breweries,” Stanek said. “And we have a carrot soap and a cucumber soap— made with carrots and cucumbers from Roots Farm in Poulsbo.”
And when customers ask for something special, the answer is often yes.
“If someone wants something, we can respond to their needs,” Buescher said. “Not all the time, but if someone wants a special batch, we can do that.”
Growing Toward the Future
Stanek and Buescher hope to expand thoughtfully, especially into wholesale, while staying true to their sustainable foundation.
“We want to grow it,” she said. “So we’re looking at wholesale as our next big hurdle.”
Their long-term vision includes supporting workers as the business grows.
“We have one employee now, we pay her more than minimum wage, hoping to, continue that and be able to provide a living wage to people,” Stanek said. “Maybe it’s part-time work, but if we can grow it enough to hire people and pay them right—that’s definitely on our radar.”
New products are always in development.
“I have a bunch of supplies to try and make an all-purpose cleaner, like a spray cleaner,” said Buescher. “I want it done by January.”
A Sustainable Main Street Model
While Kneib created the foundation, Buescher and Stanek are building a business designed to endure.
“We want it to function as a business that can support somebody with a living wage, and then it can stay around forever if somebody can just maintain that,” he said.
Most of all, they want customers to leave with a sense of belonging.
“We want people to feel welcome here, like this is a place where you’re welcome,” she said.
On Fifth Street, F.R.O.G. Soap is proof that small businesses can shape the character of downtown Bremerton in the most unexpected ways—one reclaimed, hand-poured bar at a time.
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