Well-known Penticton radio host taking on new business venture owning a soap shop

Photo: Soda Creek Soap

One of Penticton’s local shops is changing hands, getting ready to be run by a familiar face and a familiar voice.

Kyle Stewart, a popular past morning host on Penticton’s FM radio station, 97.1 Sun FM before and after it was re-branded as Move 97.1, is taking over Soda Creek Soap Co.

He and his family were excited at the chance to have a family-owned and operated business in town.

“When that whole thing happened with Bell Media, it was unfortunate, but we knew that we wanted to stay in Penticton,” Stewart explained, referring to being laid off this past winter as part of a wave of terminations at Bell-owned stations nationwide.

“I thought I was going to be radio through-and-through. But we just kind of fell in love with Penticton and didn't want to go anywhere. So we were doing everything we could to stay in Penticton.”

That's when the opportunity to purchase Soda Creek Soap came up.

“We've known Greg, who was the previous owner of Soda Creek Soap, for a few years actually, ran into him at the Farmers Market and loved his products, so we kept going back to him,” Stewart explained.

“Then when the whole, I guess we'll call the transition period happened, he was ready to retire. He kind of just mentioned it to us in passing as we were at the store picking up some soap one day that he was like, yeah, I'm ready to retire, I'm looking to sell the business.”

The idea of running a store and getting to stay in Penticton producing a product they loved was a perfect match for the family.

“For the people that we have told, they're like, ‘Wait, what? You're going to do what? From radio?'" Stewart added with a laugh. “We're so excited about it. It's something that we really feel passionate about.

“We knew it was a good product and products we could stand behind. And we always wanted to be business owners, I guess we've had previous experience with working for businesses ourselves and we had an opportunity we decided to jump at it to to set some roots in Penticton. We couldn't be happier.”

The business will officially become the Stewarts' on Friday, and Greg Luff will be staying on for a few weeks to help with the transition.

“I never thought I'd be a business owner. Never thought we would own a business. But you know what, the more we started talking about it, the more we start thinking about it, the more we're like, yeah, that's right up our alley.”

“We're excited to have our own family local business that's making amazing handmade products and that we can take to the farmers markets all around the South Okanagan, because that's one thing we've absolutely fallen in love with.”

Soda Creek Soap is open from Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.