Former St. Thomas student and current Columbia University student Isabel Bercaw has kept busy with Da Bomb Bath Bombs, a bath bomb business that Bercaw started in 2012 with her sister, Caroline.

The sisters first started making bath bombs in their basement.

“It wasn’t so much that we were starting a business, we wanted to create a product we can enjoy,” Isabel Bercaw said.

The two sisters were not fond of other bath bombs commercially available due to the pigments and oils found inside, leading to the decision to start experimenting with their own recipes. Their mother ended up lending them some money to buy the ingredients needed to start working on their new creations.

“It looked like an arts and crafts room had thrown up,” Isabel Bercaw said, referring to her converted basement.

The bath bombs were first shared at the Uptown Art Fair in 2012, an annual event recommended by a family friend who also happened to sell products there. This was a big opportunity for the Bercaw sisters, since they had only really made bath bombs as goodies or gifts for birthday parties before.

“We spent all summer making bath bombs and were nervous they wouldn’t sell,” Isabel Bercaw said.

They whipped up their own special concoctions, using baking soda, epsom salt, corn starch and essential oils depending on the type of bath bomb they were making.

The sisters were surprised when they sold out all of their bath bombs the first day at the fair. The second day rolled around and it was still a success among the browsing crowds. With this money, the girls were able to pay back the money their mother loaned them.

That was when they knew it was time to grow their business.

“We had no idea how a business works,” Isabel Bercaw said.

Their dad had some experience in the business world, assisting them in making decisions for their brand and helping them decide what the potential future looked like for Da Bomb Bath Bombs. The girls’ mom was no exception either, aiding in the production of the bath bombs and driving them to locations they needed to go since they were still too young to drive.

With that help from family, the girls were able to get the business off the ground and running, putting their bath bombs in 24 locations during the first four months.

Then the unthinkable happened. Target reached out to the Bercaw sisters in 2016, asking if they could make introductions and talk about the bath bombs. Target had spotted the bath bombs in other stores and wanted to learn more about Da Bomb Bath Bombs as a company.

“They said on the spot they wanted to carry our product,” Isabel Bercaw said.

Up until this point, the girls had been seeking out managers at various stores, asking them if they wanted to carry their signature bath bombs. They wanted to know if these managers liked their product, and if they didn’t, they wanted to know what they could do to improve them.

Target’s offer was such a big commitment and huge shock, especially since the girls were still located and developing the bath bombs in their home, but they ended up leasing a warehouse and were able to distribute their products with ease.

Over a million bath bombs are made during their peak season now, a long way from where they started. Isabel Bercaw remincises on her time at St. Thomas with nothing but good thoughts and memories, but transferred to Columbia University when her dream of moving to New York City presented itself to her.

Da Bomb Bath Bombs can be found nationwide in approximately 25,000 stores and produces about 30,000 regular sized bath bombs per day.

Kylie LaValle can be reached at lava3486@stthomas.edu.