What started off as a plan for her sister-in-law’s baby shower blossomed into a new Alexandria skin care boutique for a Northern Virginia woman.
White Lily Shoppe, located in on South St. Asaph Street in Old Town, promotes clean ingredients and eco-conscious practices by selling a variety of soaps, bath products, candles and other products. White Lily’s founder Bianca Del Cid says she started out on Etsy in 2019 after she realized she could make the same handmade soups she found online for the baby shower.
“It was a side thing that turned into full time,” says Del Cid, who used to work for social services in Alexandria. “I was able to use my passion and be able to just share with the community.”
Del Cid says she chose to open White Lily in Alexandria after seeing that her soaps sold quickly during a 2021 holiday pop-up shop. The community’s “embrace” of Del Cid’s products is what Del Cid said “kept her going.”
To ensure its mission of promoting natural ingredients and being eco-conscious, White Lily’s products don’t use artificial coloring or fragrance oils, and plastic is not used in the packaging process.
“Our mission behind White Lily Shoppe is for people to be mindful about what they’re putting on their skin,” Del Cid says.
Had the pandemic not occurred, Del Cid says White Lily “wouldn’t be here.” It was during that time that she researched how to make products from scratch and how to combine different oils together.
“The pandemic allowed me to slow down and really get more creative,” she says.
White Lily gives back to the community. The shop donates 10 percent of all gift box proceeds to organizations, such as the Spitfire Club, an extracurricular book club that builds community around diverse girl-positive books, and Advancing Latinas into Leadership, a nonprofit that mentors high school–aged girls.
“I see myself in these young girls,” Del Cid said. “I had a charity that reached out to me and was able to help me when I was younger, so I want to do the same thing back now that I’m in a position to be able to do that.” 101-A S. St. Asaph St., Alexandria
Feature image courtesy White Lily Shoppe
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