A small business owner in Windsor is sending out a thank-you to the community as her family fights to keep the business alive.
The owner of Swinging Soaps set-up a GoFundMe page in late February to raise money just to pay the rent, as restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic hit the bottom line hard.
While some donations did come in, people instead have been placing orders for the designer soap products, giving the business an increase in orders.
Jenny White, owner of Swinging Soaps, says in five days, they received 53 orders.
"I've never seen so many orders. They're decorating the window sills, they're all around our shop," she says. "People have come in just to support us, it's really, really wonderful."
White says her husband was out of work during the pandemic and they accumulated a lot of debt, leaving them struggling to pay the rent.
A posting on the Swinging Soaps Facebook page on March 24 said "we're still short on out rent but we're a lot closer than we were a few weeks ago, and we cannot thank you enough."
Swinging Soaps at 2001 Provincial Road, near Walker Road in Windsor. (Photo courtesy of the Swinging Soaps Facebook page)
White says it's just three people trying to fulfill all of the orders, quite a few from new customers, but it's a good problem to have.
"We don't have any employees. It's just me, my husband Dave, my daughter Alyssa. Her best friend Kelly comes to help occasionally, when she can," she says.
White says she started the company five years ago to create a fun, gentle bath product that her daughter could use as she suffers from severe eczema.
She says the people of Windsor-Essex have been amazing in placing orders at the store and online.
"I built up a website, we have a website, and the store is also still open. My husband delivers all over the city. We go as far as Belle River, we've been everywhere," she adds.
Swinging Soaps is located at 2001 Provincial Road, near Walker Road.