Nature’s best, melted into every bar of soap

Rich Palzewic

Staff

December 8, 2025

RIB MOUNTAIN – In a move Owner Brian Fox said will better serve customers and boost business, Naturally Up North recently moved from downtown Wausau’s River District to the Village of Rib Mountain

“To hopefully increase sales and visibility, we thought it was best to move out of downtown Wausau,” he said. “We’ve had people over the years who would bring their family in and they would tell us they hadn’t been downtown Wausau since the mall was torn down six or seven years ago.”

Fox – who co-owns the shop with his wife, Julie – said downtown Wausau also isn’t easy to access because of its one-way streets.

“Parking is also limited to two hours – if you get lucky enough to find a spot,” he said. “We [also] wanted to make it more convenient and a more enjoyable experience for our customers and employees.”

Fox said Naturally Up North – which focuses on plant-based soap, skin and home products – held a grand opening in mid-November at the new location: 151507 County Road NN in Rib Mountain.

“It’s been about a year-long process looking for a new location,” he said. “We looked at several different locations within the Wausau urban area, which included Rib Mountain. I think Rib Mountain is a lot like Bellevue [in the Green Bay area] – it’s a place everybody wants to go and is up and coming.”

Fox said he and Julie feel fortunate that their new location is situated on a fairly busy entrance to the Rib Mountain area.

“There are really only two [entrances into Rib Mountain], and we’re just off the highway exit,” he said. “I think it’s a pretty good spot.”

Fox said though Naturally Up North’s new location wasn’t completely prepared for occupancy, it didn’t require extensive work.

“We painted and upgraded some electrical work and plumbing, but other than that, it was fairly cost-efficient,” he said.

What’s offered?

Though body soap is a popular Naturally Up North product, Fox said the store also offers a selection of home goods.

“We have a line of candle warmers, regular soy candles we pour and a line of clothing ranging from shea butter-infused socks to hats made in Poland,” he said. 

Fox said the store also sells infinity lights, a unique line of Christmas decorations that use mirrors and LED lights to create the illusion of an endless tunnel.

“We also carry bath bombs, shower steamers, body oils and shampoo bars and conditioners,” he said.

Fox said the store also hosts gatherings for team-building events and special occasions.

“They can make their own soap, do their own candle pouring and make their own bath bombs,” he said.

Aside from a few items, like the candle warmers and Polish hats, Fox said all the products are made locally.

“All of the soap-based or plant-based products we make here,” he said. “We source domestically, and we ensure all of our products are phthalate-free. Phthalates are chemicals found in hundreds of products and mainly used in plastics to help them become soft, flexible and hard to break. Most people’s exposure to phthalates comes from food sources and personal care products.”

Because phthalates can be harmful, Fox said he and Julie prioritize keeping all their products free of them.

“We’re very conscientious about leaving those out of our containers and whatever else we can to ensure safety and health,” he said.

To the beginning

Originally, Fox said he and Julie opened Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. – a franchise with more than 40 locations across the country – in Wausau in June 2023.

After operating the downtown Wausau location for nearly a year, Fox said they decided to open a Minocqua store under the name Naturally Up North.

“That was May 9 of last year,” he said. “The Minocqua store was not associated with the Magnolia franchise in any form or fashion.”

After parting ways with the Magnolia franchise this past summer due to business practice differences, Fox said they also evaluated the Minocqua store under their Naturally Up North brand and found the market challenging.

“We determined that maybe it was the wrong market for a soap and bath store,” he said. “Sure, there is a lot of tourism there, and tourism can be great for some businesses, but when you need to survive throughout the year, tourism is not necessarily all that great for some businesses.”

With tourism alone not enough to sustain the business year-round, Fox said they made the difficult decision to close the Minocqua store in October.

“We decided to see how things went once the tourism dropped and decide after that, and it just wasn’t enough to keep us open,” he said.

With the downtown Wausau move complete and the Minocqua location closed, Fox said they can now fully focus on their single Naturally Up North store.

“It’s been a journey, for sure,” he said. “We are glad to have everything behind us. We’ve created a website, and we’re going to have full e-commerce availability on that website for shipping and providing products to our customers who don’t live in the local area.”

Fox said the new location has been “very well received” thus far.

“It’s been very positive on social media with the customers who have come in,” he said. “The grand opening went great – we had a lot of loyal customers show up and saw some new faces, too. I’m looking at this as a great opportunity to get our name change out there, from Magnolia to Naturally Up North, and also a new location.”

For more on Naturally Up North, find it on Facebook or visit naturallyupnorthwi.com.