Honest to Goodness

One of the highlights of the Grand Rapids community is the constant support of local makers. With the thoughtless consumerism surrounding American culture, it is refreshing to be able to find a multitude of artists and artisans enclosed within a few blocks of downtown. First Fridays: The Market allows the community and beyond to experience all of the local products Grand Rapids has to offer. Sheri Wierenga is the owner of Dutch Girl Bath and Body, where she creates products such as soaps and lotions using nourishing natural ingredients.

Dutch Girl Bath and Body got its start after Sheri’s son, Daniel, was diagnosed with Leukemia. The chemotherapy treatments left him with terribly dry lips in which no commercial products relieved. This sparked Sheri to take matters into her own hands, concocting a lip balm that was not only simple and natural, but took care of her son’s ailment. She now offers free lip balm to chemotherapy patients, allowing a little less discomfort during their treatment.

Seeing the vast need for chemical-free goods, she started to market her product. According to Sheri, the most important aspect of her business is “keeping [the] passion alive with new challenges.” Branching out of lip balm, she began to experiment in other natural body products. This lead her to add soaps using all vegetable based ingredients, as well as lotions, face creams, and scrubs and more in her line-up of products.

A main concern of Sheri’s is to keep her ingredient lists honest, simple, and natural. She even grows many of the herbs and flowers she utilizes; Lemon balm, spearmint, roses, and calendula (a type of marigold known for its healing properties) can be found within her garden and her products. “Everything is made from scratch,” Sheri states on the difference between her line of goods versus many others. Even some ‘homemade’ products use alcohols and lotion bases that are not natural, nor good for your body. She enjoys the challenge of figuring out the best way to create a product with the best ingredients, while still maintaining affordability for her customers.

Find Dutch Girl Bath and Body at First Fridays: The Market this Friday, June 5, from 6-9pm.

Be sure to stay connected with Avenue for the Arts on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Avenue for the Arts is a neighborhood title for the South Division commercial corridor. We are residential, commercial and nonprofit groups working together in a creative community. We are residents in Heartside, and active participants in shaping change in our neighborhood. In 2005, we chose the Avenue for the Arts as a title to represent our commercial corridor and the projects and events that we create. Because the Avenue is powered by volunteers, guest writers create our Rapidian content. Special thanks to Learning Lab participant Amanda Opolski for her contribution to this piece. Amanda is a recent graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design with a BFA in Sculpture and Functional Art. She likes to play with clay, drink good beer, and is an aspiring pinball wizard.