Girls Mix Business With Pleasure at Bath Junkie Camp

Did I ever think that writing Patch articles would take me to, where my undeserving hands would be blessed with an amazing-ness also known as a hand scrub?

No. Yet there I was, calmly seated at the counter and basking in the heavenly scents that filled my nostrils. You may be thinking, wow, you must be great at buttering up your editor to get an assignment like that! For the record, the girl who poured the deliciously warm water over my skin was not actually a trained professional (though close to it), but Alex Jackman, a soon-to-be eighth grader who enrolled in Bath Junkie’s one-weekgeared toward girls ages 11 through 15. 

Peace of Mind Counseling owner Kris Silvestry had always wanted to initiate a camp to encourage girls’ empowerment; and when she met Bath Junkie owner Katie Cantor, she knew they would be the perfect pair. Upon my arrival at Bath Junkie for the interview, I was greeted with colossal smiles from both parties who sat me down and readily answered my questions.

A group of intelligent, enthusiastic girls explained that after receiving emails about the camp, their interests' were piqued and they embarked on an entrepreneurial journey during which they created a product entitled “Who’s the bomb?”, visited local businesses including the and the and talked to the women who run them, and decorated the store’s window display. Individually, they each conceived a business complete with a plan requesting a loan.

Alex, whose business is Escape Spa and Retreat, explained, “I’m always curious about how to start a business, but what do you do, how do you do it? You have to have everything figured out! Like, how much money you’ll need, what the colors will be…”

“It’s crazy how much money it is to start a business . . . the first step (in doing so) might not be what you thought it would be,” noted Michelle Telsey, S.O.S. Soup or Sushi restaurant creator.

Maddie Jacobs, who envisioned Cookie Concoctions, a homemade cookie bakery, also said, “Just because you go to school for something doesn’t mean that that’s what you do afterwards,” regarding Bath Junkie owner Katie having majored in photography, and then starting a business completely unrelated to it.

Also part of the camp, Francesca Jones laid out a plan for Sugar Films, a movie theater that serves desserts, and Brooke Sullivan created Brooke’s Book Nook, a library and book store where customers can feel free to “get comfy!”

“I host twenty to thirty parties here a month,” explained Katie. “And this age (of girls) is so incredible to me, because they’re so inspiring—they are on the cusp of anything, and are just coming into themselves.” Her 14-year-old sister, she added, was also an inspiration, as she makes and sells her own hair bands and cards.

As it happens, Kris’s counseling center, based in Berkeley Heights, also focuses on girls the same age, and using Bath Junkie as a base, the two spent months mapping out how to create an experience to show young women that they can do it.

Said Michelle: “Katie’s not a teacher, she’s the owner, so she has experience and it’s really fun and hands-on. She also has a younger sister so she’s really good at explaining things so that it’s not hard.” Maddie agreed that since Katie actually owns a business, “she’s showing us how she did it, [whereas] a teacher would show you what you would do.” Alex added, “It’s so fun, because Bath Junkie is such a fun store. They’re so like, nice, and not strict. It’s more like hanging out, and not like a teacher and a student.”

When I asked the participants to describe their camp experience in one word, there was a pause and then a chorus of “Uhhh, that’s a hard question.” After a moment of thought, they came up with: “a good experience,” “different,” “informative and helpful,” and “exciting and unique.” Guess that turned out to be more of a “describe your experience in one phrase,” but oh well.

Katie and Kris agreed that the camp was as much of a learning experience for them as it was for the girls. “We wanted to show them that you can work with another woman—there doesn’t always have to be competition. Girls are always trying to be the ‘Queen Bee,’ and we wanted them to see that there’s no competition between me and Katie; we became friends through doing this!” said Kris. “I always had a gut feeling that [the camp] would be great, but it exceeded my expectations, really.”

After the interview, I was shown up close and personal the window which the girls had decorated. Bubblez, the mannequin, sat with her feet in a tub full of their “Who’s the bomb?” product, looking very cozy in her bathrobe. I was jealous. Yes—jealous of a mannequin. Surrounding Bubblez were various decorations including a sign that screamed “Who’s the Boss? Girls camp,” and another announcing their businesses “coming soon.”

“I actually lost sleep over this, because I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could,” Katie admitted. “I am a firm believer in doing something every day that scares you, (and) these girls are so smart they scare me.”

(Let me tell you: if going to Bath Junkie and getting a hand scrub is a scary experience, I want to be terrified.)

“I discovered what I’m meant to do,” Katie continued. “I don’t think we could ever recreate this first time, but we’d definitely like to do it again, just maybe a different reincarnation of it. Maybe a workshop here, or two hours a week for a month, or something.”

She also added that she’d love it if the five girls would come back as mentors the next time around.