Bleak Boutique

09/09/2026

We’re so grateful to Grace Lim for this thoughtful Discover Oshkosh feature on Bleak Boutique. We're honored and thankful that Downtown Oshkosh has been so incredibly supportive of our strange little dream.

We sat down with Jen to talk about the inspiration behind Bleak Boutique, becoming "accidental" soap makers, and why downtown Oshkosh turned out to be the perfect place to bring her vision to life.

09/08/2026

🍂 Our fall soaps have officially dropped — and the lineup is stacked with autumn magic.

From decadent pumpkin blends to crisp apple spice and midnight‑soft clove, this year’s seasonal collection is warm, witchy, and ready to enchant your daily ritual.

Meet the lineup: All Hallows Eve, Witches’ Wrath, Harvest, Bloody Kisses, September Sun, Autumn Again, and Behexen — each handcrafted, richly scented, and steeped in fall energy.

Available now in store and online.

09/08/2026

We’re thrilled to be a stop on Downtown Oshkosh’s Boos & Brews: C***r & Seltzer Stroll!

Join the Halloween‑themed fun on Saturday, October 10th, 1–5 PM as you wander through downtown with c***r and seltzer samples, spooky photo ops, and plenty of autumn energy. Costumes encouraged (but totally optional).

This event also kicks off our 1‑Year Anniversary Week, so expect extra festive vibes when you stop in.

All participants must check in at Elsewhere Market before starting the stroll, and you’ll need your cup, lanyard, and wristband to sample at each location.

For full details and tickets, head to the official Downtown Oshkosh event page.

We can’t wait to see you on the route 🦇

09/03/2026

Two new soaps are fresh from our curing racks and ready to join your daily ritual.

Wicked Fields of Calm softens classic lavender into a dreamy, musk‑like warmth that feels soothing, imaginative, and perfect for winding down.

The Desert Lair brings a warm, earthy blend of woods, citrus, and spice: bright at the top, softly spiced in the middle, and grounded in rugged desert stillness.

Both bars are handcrafted, atmospheric, and ready to become your next favorites. Available now in store and online.

08/27/2026

Tonight's lunar eclipse feels like the perfect moment to highlight our Blood Moon soaps, both the bar and the liquid body wash. The scent is just as vivid and shifting as the sky tonight.

Blood moon starts with fruity top notes of raspberry, pineapple, and nectarine, then moves into a lush heart of green tea, white lily, sweet pea, and red clover. Ocean air and musk finish the blend with a soft, shadowy base. It's complex, luxurious, and never boring, much like the night sky itself.

Whether you're stepping outside to watch the moon turn red or enjoying the magic from home, Blood Moon is a great way to bring that celestial energy into your nightly routine.

Eclipse tonight. Blood Moon always.

Available in bar soap (pictured), bath bomb, and liquid soap/body wash, online and in store.

08/27/2026

Here's part 2 of Sean's story from Humans of Oshkosh!

(2/2) “Those people took a chance on me. I worked at that first company for about a year. After that, I kept having people offer me additional job training. Someone would say, ‘What do you know about customs brokering? Do you want to learn?’ Yes.

‘What do you know about product development and CAD design?’ Nothing.

‘Do you want to learn?’ Yes.

People trained me in global supply chain, logistics, customs clearance, sourcing and product development. Some of them became business mentors. I never finished a degreed program. I went the certification route. Today, my day job is as a director of global supply chain. I'm kind of a mosaic of people who believed in me, who offered me additional training and who took chances on me.

Now one of the things I love most is training other people, especially people coming from blue-collar backgrounds. A lot of people have skills that translate into supply chain careers and they just don't know it. It's hard to break into white-collar work from the blue-collar world without having an ‘in’ or someone willing to train you.

I've trained well over 100 people in supply chain and into career paths. People took chances on me and trained me. I wouldn't be where I am if people hadn't done that.
So I'm trying to keep that cycle going. Just pay it forward.”

(Grace's Note: I've interviewed thousands of people over the years, and I'm still amazed by the stories people carry around with them. Sean's story reminded me of the resilience of the human spirit, but also of something just as powerful: the generosity of people willing to take a chance on someone else. Sean Swift is the co-owner of Bleak Boutique.)

08/25/2026

Check out Sean's feature from Humans of Oshkosh!

“I left home at 15. My home life wasn't tenable. I became an emancipated minor and moved from the Chicago suburbs to Northern California to start fresh. I had no safety net. I had a couple thousand dollars I'd saved from mowing lawns and having paper routes. I'd left school early and gotten my GED.

At first, I didn't know what the heck I was doing. I rough-camped for a couple of months. I had to take gas station baths and things like that. I was so dead set on never having to go back to rough camping or searching for a place to live that I took whatever work I could find. But when I get nervous, I'm a nervous talker. So I talked to everyone. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was networking.

People started offering me warehouse work and paying me under the table. Someone would say, ‘Hey, my wife likes to cook, and she made a little too much dinner yesterday.’ Eventually, people would say, ‘I've got this basement,’ or, ‘I've got this guest room.’

I found warehouse work stacking boxes, getting pallets wrapped and getting products ready for freight shipments. I'd been there for a few months when someone said, ‘Hey, what do you know about global ocean freight logistics?’

I said, ‘I know of those words.’

They said, ‘Do you want to learn?’

I said yes.” (Part 1 of 2)

(Grace's Note: I met Sean Swift while interviewing him and his wife, Jen Steffen, co-owners of Bleak Boutique in downtown Oshkosh, as part of my partnership with Discover Oshkosh. We were talking about the business when Sean casually mentioned that he'd left home at 15. I'm pretty sure my next words were, “You did WHAT?” I stopped asking about the store. I'll introduce you to Jen and Bleak Boutique in September. But first, I thought you should meet Sean. Part 2 coming soon.)

08/11/2026