Our story
From the sponge divers of Kalymnos to the boardwalk at John’s Pass
Lori’s Soap & Sponge Market is a family business. Our roots are on Kalymnos, the small Greek island in the Aegean that has sent sponge divers to sea for centuries. Lori’s father grew up surrounded by that sponge-diving culture and the everyday Mediterranean habits that came with it: olive oil on everything, simple ingredients, and things made by hand.
As featured in Florida Inno · read about the feature
The sponges
Natural sea sponges are still the heart of the shop. We sell wool sponges, yellow sponges, grass and silk sponges and loofahs, and every one is cut, trimmed and sorted by hand using the same methods the Kalymnian sponge families have always used. A good wool sponge lasts a year or two of daily use, and when it finally wears out it goes back to the earth.
You’ll find them in the baskets at the front of the shop, and you can pick one up by size and feel, the way it should be done.
The soap
Our goat’s milk and olive oil soaps are made with extra-virgin olive oil that would be just as at home on your kitchen table, goat’s milk, herbs, salts and botanical oils. Goat’s milk lowers the soap’s pH so it cleans without stripping your skin; olive oil leaves it soft. We make them, along with our lotions, scrubs and bath products, by hand in our own local workshop, in more than forty scents.
The shop
Since opening on the boardwalk at John’s Pass Village in Madeira Beach, we have become a stop that visitors come back to year after year. TripAdvisor ranks us among the top places to shop in Madeira Beach, and most days you’ll find a member of the family behind the counter, happy to help you choose a scent or explain the difference between a wool and a yellow sponge.
Come see us, or shop from anywhere
We ship our soaps, sponges and body care nationwide from John’s Pass.