Vendor View with Nepenthe's Bathtime & Gretchen von Eberstein

Handcrafted soaps and body products: designer slices, novelty, glow in the dark soaps, cupcake soaps, sushi soaps, herbal soaks, spa sets and more, all from Nepenthe's Bathtime, founded in 2005 by Samantha Hlavaty.

Nepenthe: ne·pen·the (ni-pen'the): "a Greek mythological potion which washes away pain and sorrow and creates happiness."
"a wayward pup adopted from a local shelter in 2001."

What makes your products uniquely "Austin"?
I combine a background of 3D Animation and Art with my passion for bath products and botanicals to create unique, one of a kind creations.  Vegan friendly!

Who is your biggest inspiration?
That's tough!  I have many including, fellow creatives, business owners, family, the Dalai lama, Frida, Eleanor Roosevelt, Judith Leiber.

What is your favorite "Austin" thing to do, or restaurant to eat at, or place to go?
Alborz Persian Cuisine ....yum!

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What do a bat, octopus, star, silver, gold, copper and bronze have to do with each other?  Gretchen von Eberstein, Designs in Metal, will show you she can use fabricating and casting techniques, as well as the above list, and create some jewelry that is out-of-this-world cool!  This is the first year she has been in "full swing" since she started her business, so we are thrilled to be promoting her!

What makes your products uniquely "Austin"?

I've been living in Austin since I graduated from high school. Austin has influenced my tastes a great deal. I design jewelry for rock stars, super heroes (Wonder Woman talks to her!) and sometimes super villains.  I live just a couple blocks from the Congress street bridge and so have designed and cast bat jewelry for the bat conservation society.  I love Austin.

What is your favorite "Austin" thing to do, or restaurant to eat at, or place to go?
I couldn't chose one! Go see my husband play in "Pong", ride in the Austin bike zoo parade, take my kids to swim at twin falls on the green belt,  bike on the Town Lake trail with the kids. Hang out at Jo's coffee house with friends, go to movies at the Alamo on South Lamar and eat at Magnolia's, Trudy's, Thai Kitchen or East Side Cafe.

One of the coolest things about Shop Austin, is meeting new vendors, and having them meet each other.  Gretchen and Samantha are no exception.  When placing vendors for this year's show, we asked if they would be interested in sharing a booth and much to our surprise, Samantha was already an admirer of Gretchen's work (and had received a ring of hers for a gift), but had yet to meet her.  You can meet them both at Shop Austin on Saturday, April 17th and we are thrilled to have them as two new vendors to this year's show!

XO,
allison

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