Ames' first Buff City Soap opens in Duff Plaza Thursday

Known for its handmade, plant-based soaps, Buff City Soap is the latest store to open in a new development in Duff Plaza.

Ames’ first location for the brand is located at 1419 Buckeye Ave., Suite 101, and is an example of Buff City’s expansion into new markets throughout the country. Since its founding in 2013, followed by franchising in 2018, Buff City Soap has grown to 259 stores in 32 states.

It opens Thursday.

“Our expansion across Iowa has been nothing less than amazing,” owner Chris Meyers said in a news release. “We’ve had the great opportunity of sharing our products with Iowans all over, and we can’t wait to bring it to the city of Ames with such a wonderful community and so many students.

“We’re excited to show the people of Ames how exciting our customizable plant-based soap products can be — from gifts, to finding your favorite scents — everyone will love it.”

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Buff City Soap joins Old Navy and Maurices, which opened last month in Duff Plaza. The stores will be joined by T.J. Maxx and SKECHERS, which have not yet announced their opening dates.

Buff City’s soap and body products are made in-store daily. The company offers an alternative to commercial soap products, which can contain detergents, animal fats and sulfates.

Customers can see the making process live in each “Soap Makery.”

“By giving customers the chance to see the whole making process live in each Soap Makery, Buff City Soap is disrupting the consumer goods industry by focusing on transparency of ingredients and process,” according to the news release.

In celebration of the store’s opening, the first 50 in-store customers each day from April 13 through April 16 will receive free soap for a year.

During the four-day grand opening event, guests can get 10% off all products in the store, or a 20% discount for purchases more than $100.

Products include more than 30 customizable scents that can be used in soap bars, bath bombs, foaming hand soap and laundry soap.

During its grand opening, Ames’ Buff City Soap is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Regular store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.