Neither recession nor cancer can hold Founder Merilyn Konnerth back. A determined female entrepreneur, Merilyn has the fighting spirit to match the will. When the 2008 recession shut the doors on her NYC based design and accessory import business, Merilyn did what most people would do and… bought a $40 artisanal bar of soap??? Merilyn was browsing on Etsy when she made the purchase, but the bar of soap inspired her to dive headfirst into the art of soap making. She immersed herself in courses and literature and founded Utopia Bath in 2010, focusing on small batch formulations using organic and natural ingredients. Over the years she has expanded the Utopia line to include liquid soaps, lotions, creams, salves and felted soap, which she sells on Etsy and in Taste of NY retail stores. Many of the products are “farm to soap,” incorporating ingredients (and even wool) from her sister’s sheep farm. Merilyn also has a separate skin care line, Pharmacist’s Daughter, which is specially formulated for people undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. This is a cause close to Merilyn’s heart as she was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after founding Utopia and consulted with her father, a retired pharmacist, to formulate skin care products to soothe her own ailing skin battered by rounds of chemo and surgeries. Merilyn continues to work out of her home studio in Bellport and takes pride in hand pouring, hand cutting, hand stamping and hand packaging each and every Utopia soap. It’s a labor intensive process, but Merilyn wouldn’t have it any other way.