Local Love at Hartmann Farmhouse
Originally published in the Winter 2020 issue of Spoke+Blossom
Honey Bee Pollen Soap from Hartmann Farmhouse, made of wax and honey from the owner’s family hives.
It’s a breezy September afternoon and Dara Hartmann is getting ready for Christmas. Earlier in the day, eight boxes of ornaments arrived, and walking into her yellow clapboard farmhouse on the Redlands, I see her elbow deep in packing paper.
Hartmann is the proprietor of Hartmann Farmhouse, an eclectic emporium of sustainable, handcrafted body products, local jewelry and crafts, baby goods, clothing, shoes and more.
A chemical engineer by training and profession, Hartmann opened her shop in October 2018, three years after “retiring” to spend more time with her three children.
Hartmann’s transition from scientist to retail entrepreneur began with bees.
Or rather, it began as a laugh about bees with her husband David.
“Dave was interested in beekeeping, so I bought him ‘Beekeeping for Dummies’ for Christmas,” explains Hartmann. Soon, the Hartmanns had two hives. And just a few months later, Dara was trying to figure out what to do with a ball of raw beeswax.
Falling back on her experience as a chemist, she refined the wax and made lip balm. Along the way, she also found a new career and passion.
“At that time, I was struggling with my ‘why,’” she shares. “I knew I wasn’t done working, and I wanted to do something that really interested me. When I pulled out my test tube rack to work with the wax, it clicked. Chemistry is my thing.”
Espresso Soap, one of Hartmann’s unique, natural, handcrafted soaps, dusted with coffee grounds from her daily coffee!
The bees kept producing, and Hartmann kept looking for new ways to use wax and honey from the family hives. Soaps were a natural next step, followed by bath bombs, lotion bars, shampoo bars and more.
Flip through the calendar a few more months, and Hartmann’s hobby creating body products has expanded into a retail business, complete with an on-site beehive.
Pina Colada Soap. Hartmann offers “soapmaking parties” to groups up to 12 students. All materials provided to make your own fragrant, colorful masterpiece.
“There is a little bit of pride in keeping bees, knowing that you’re helping the environment of your immediate neighborhood and community,” explains Dave Hartmann. “Honeybees, in fact most pollinators, have been in decline in North America. Our family is happy to be a part of the solution to keep our natural surroundings healthy and thriving.
After one year, Hartmann Farmhouse has become so much more than its original conception as “A Bubble & Bee Boutique.”
In addition to her soap and body products, Hartmann stocks her shop with goods to tempt every age and taste, all the while focusing on local and sustainable products.
“The hierarchy of what I have in the store is local, then Colorado, and then U.S.-made,” says Hartmann, acknowledging that minimizing foreign manufacturers has been harder than she anticipated.
One of the most unique aspects of Hartmann Farmhouse is a back room showcasing a rainbow of formal dresses, suitable for prom, galas and weddings. These dresses, some of which are new, but most of which are slightly used, are bought locally from students and women wishing to give their gowns a new life.
Available for rent or purchase, this is another way in which Hartmann emphasizes local connections.
Looking into the future, Hartmann hopes to expand her coffee and bakery offerings (yes, she has those, too!), as well as position Hartmann Farmhouse as a community center where people will come, relax, chat and enjoy the view of the Book Cliffs from her patio.
The Lavender Bath Bomb is one of five available flavors of this crowd-favorite body product.
“I have tons of ideas,” laughs Hartmann. “Time is the thing I’m looking for.”
Hartmann Farmhouse is located across from the Redlands roundabout. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, with online offerings at thehartmannhouse.com.