Meet Roberta Perry | Founder/Owner of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products

We had the good fortune of connecting with Roberta Perry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roberta, what do you attribute your success to?
Back in 2006, I was lucky enough to create a sugar scrub that transformed my skin and when my late sister, Michelle, suggested we package it up and sell the jars, we did. We started selling at holiday boutiques, craft fairs, and women’s expos, but then I dreamed big of wholesaling our scrub to stores around the country.

By the second year, I had managed to get into stores like Whole Foods and drove up and down from the tip of CT to the tip of NJ and all through the LI and NYC areas to demo our product in their aisles. It was a lot of driving and schlepping, but I loved meeting new customers and I always got their email addresses to send them our direct information. (My first marketing tip)

We moved out of my renovated garage and into a small place where we could manufacture and ship. Because my sister and I loved designing, we painted, tiled, carpeted, and decorated this small place into what looked like a retail store. So we made it one.

And then it happened.

The more we got to know our customers one one-on-one, the more we realized that we liked the retail experience more than wholesale. We had always believed in giving great customer service, but when we made this shift from corporate to personal, it became the cornerstone of our brand.

We call ourselves a me-time, self-love, pamper yourself, customer service company that just happens to make 100% active-ingredient skincare. We make sure to put a scoop of love in every container, as well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I consider myself so lucky and grateful that I got to take a product I made and create an entire business around it. I get to not only make people love their skin more, but I get to remind customers that they are special and well worth taking care of.

Running the actual day-to-day business can be categorically challenging, time-consuming, and sometimes, hair-pulling, but well worth it. I love being a part of people’s self-love and caring.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
What a great question because I feel like the ambassador of Long Island and specifically Farmingdale, many times. I would love to share a weekend bragging.

Friday night it’s dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant, Lemonleaf. While the decor is just ok, the food, especially the lemongrass pork chop, is fabulous. https://lemonleafgrill.m988.com/phone/pages/home.html

Saturday – It’s south to north day!
I would take them down to the beach. Long Island’s south shore has fine white sand that my friend will love walking barefoot in.

A stroll on the boardwalk to take in the whole view and then off to the East End.

We would have lunch in West Hampton, strolling the streets, then after lunch, head up to the North Fork and Snowflakes in Riverhead for fabulous ice cream.

Hitting the wine country now, we would drive through Greenport and Jamesport and find a farm stand along the way. Dinner would be at one of the quaint spots near a vineyard and as the sun was setting, the views of the winefields would be spectacular.

Sunday- It’s a local day in Farmingdale!
First, we go for a late morning massage at Well Kneaded Massage. They have 2 rooms side by side so you can get solo or couple’s massage. https://wellkneadedmassageli.com/

After we were made to feel like heaven, we hit The Recovery Room Cafe for lunch. Tina’s food is amazing and the atmosphere is super cozy. https://www.instagram.com/nuttyrecoveryroom/

We would then stroll Main Street window shopping or stopping in at shops like Bewitched and Angela’s Bra Boutique. https://angelasbraboutique.com/

Next is shopping right next to our store at Bell and Whistle which has a wide variety of housewares and gifts and clothing. https://www.instagram.com/bellandwhistleus/?hl=en

We would of course go into Scrubz so my friend could feel pampered. I would set up a “Make Your Own Scrubz” container and have my friend indulge in her favorite scent.

After Scrubz making, we head north on Main Street and around the neighborhood to find ourselves at Bethpage State Park, home of 2 US Open Golf Tournaments. There, we can hit a few buckets of balls or stroll the grounds. https://www.bethpagegolfcourse.com/tee-times/

Dinner is just off Main and near the train station at Nunzi’s, delicious modern Italian. It’s noisy on the weekends, so I prefer a weeknight. https://www.nunzis1274.com/

After dinner, we go for an artisan-crafted beer at Lithology. Manny and his team are wonders at coming up with cool beer flavors and profiles. https://www.lithologybrewing.com/

I love driving around the island and showing how diverse many of the different areas are. There is no shortage of great food, great concerts, and entertainment, and I love having the rocky shores of the north and the soft sand of the south to show off.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, my late sister, Michelle. She came up with the name Scrubz and helped me get it off the ground when we first began. Her retail experience was a tremendous help in how we set things up in our shop and how we created specials and bundles. etc. Our Make Your Own Scrubz Parties for all ages was her brainchild. Because I was not originally on board with the party idea, every time a group of kids or adults is having the time of their lives, I look up and remind her that she was right.

My husband and kids. The first few years they endured boxes around the house, my talking about ScrubzBody all the time, and having me work crazy hours on the weekends and nights when I had an event to attend.

My dearest friends for much of the above-mentioned start-up craziness. Wendy for helping us out for free for years and then taking Michelle’s job when she passed.

My business besties, called Chignon 7, are my dear friends and business sounding board. They are the most incredible and diverse group of ladies. All 6 of these women are powerhouses in their own right and we strive to lift each other all the time. I met them from my big business group, Indie Business Network. I believe in having other small business owners learn from and support each other.

Website: https://scrubzbody.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scrubzbodyproducts/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scrubzbody/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/scrubzbody

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrubzbody

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/scrubzbody-skin-care-products-farmingdale-4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/scrubzbody/videos