SATURDAY MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Sisters Apothecary brings ‘eclectic’ array

Published 6:00 am Thursday, July 25, 2019

Jennifer Beddingfield brings a little something different to Athens Saturday Market.

The Ardmore native started selling her wide range of products at the market this year. She and her sister, Rebecca Ferguson, are self-proclaimed crafters and do-it-yourselfers who together make up Sisters Apothecary.

Their list of goods includes free-range yard eggs, pottery and apothecary items. They make and sell donkey soap, salves, aromatherapy products, sugar scrubs and more.

“It’s an eclectic group of things,” Beddingfield said.

Both sisters were busy making things on their own before starting the business. Beddingfield said together, they “wanted to do something different that would stand out.”

The donkey milk soap idea was born, and it’s become their best market seller.

Like the name implies, donkey milk soap is made from donkey milk. Beddingfield explained donkey milk, similar to goat milk, contains a lot fat and vitamins. Though the soap doesn’t make a lot of suds, she said it does leave the skin soft and hydrated.

“It’s good for eczema and psoriasis,” Beddingfield said.

She said she loves it, and it seems others love it, too. The soaps come in a variety of fragrances, with lemon poppy and passionfruit rose among the most popular.

Beyond donkey soap, Beddingfield and her husband Timmy work their farm, known as Rose Hill Farm. The farm, which has been passed through her family, is situated between Elkmont and Ardmore.

Beddingfield said they bought her grandparents’ old farm place because they wanted to bring it back to life. Currently, she and her husband have a garden and are raising donkeys and free-range chickens, among other things.

The Beddingfields, who have six children and one grandson, also work full time.

Beddingfield’s mother, Janet Nichols of Jack and Jill’s Clay House, is a part of Beddingfield’s Saturday Market wares. Beddingfield brings her mother’s handcrafted mugs and cups to the market every week.

“She’s been making pottery since I was pregnant with my son,” Beddingfield said. “He’s about to be 13.”

Beddingfield and Nichols started out in pottery classes together. Nichols stuck with it after Beddingfield’s son arrived, and she now teaches her own classes and shows at a number of craft shows.

“She is really great at it,” Beddingfield said.

She joked her talented mother is like Martha Stewart, creating works of art while Beddingfield is like Sandra Lee, making something semi-homemade.

Beddingfield said she has enjoyed the Saturday Market.

“I was kind of scared at first,” she said. “I had never been before.”

However, those first-time jitters are long gone.

“The market community is so great,” Beddingfield said. “Everyone is so friendly.”

She was shocked at the amount of people who show up every Saturday and grateful she is starting to get repeat customers. She is already planning to sign up for next year.

“We are loving it,” Beddingfield said. “We would love to come back.”

— Athens Main Street intern Anna Marbutt contributed to this article.