Bath, body and beach-chic lifestyle goods company Rica is extending its stay in Southold.The Red Hook-based skincare company popped up on the Main Road in June for a two-month summer stay, but will stick around through the end of the year, selling its line of all natural, hand made body butters, oils, perfumes and cleansers.
“The pop up has been so well received by the community,” said owner Dr. Kristina Ivy. “People have been coming in to sit down and talk. It has kind of become a little hang out. It is a welcoming place where people can slowdown and unwind.”
Helping women combat stress and embrace all forms of wellness is at the heart of Dr. Ivy’s career. A psychologist and holistic clinician specializing in women’s health, Dr. Ivy launched Rica Bath and Body in 2010 with four skincare products adapted from her great-grandmother’s homemade recipes. Growing up in Virginia, Dr. Ivy learned the formulas from her grandmother, who was lovingly known as “Big Mama,” making the body creams and butters around the kitchen table from ingredients sourced from the family farm.
“The launch of Rica was really about creating products that made women want to take time to care for themselves,” Dr. Ivy said. “We’re all moving so fast and we’re not really stopping to unwind. The line is about making women feel healthy and restored.”
Today, Rica’s skincare line includes more than 300 products and is sold internationally in stores like Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and West Elm as well as Rica’s Brooklyn location in Red Hook.
Dr. Ivy, who owns a home in Southold with her husband, remains the chief product developer and the company continues to hand make, hand pour and hand package all its goods.
“It is my pleasure creating these products,” she said. “Nothing is mass produced.”
A lover of interior design, Dr. Ivy has expanded Rica’s inventory over the years to include home décor, clothing and hostess gifts sourced from artisans around the world who use all-natural fibers. The aesthetic is decidedly muted, with white, tan and pale colors the prevailing scheme.
“It is meant to be calming,” she said.
The 400-square-foot retail space on the corner of Beckwith Avenue, also stocks a variety of home goods, such as Dr. Ivy’s hand-poured candles with scents inspired by the North Fork as well as slippers, blankets, jewelry and Peruvian baskets.
Rica is part of a growing number of shops selling home décor in Southold. In recent years, the Main Road has become a hub for home-goods shopping, with longtime favorites such as White Flower Farmhouse and touchGOODS being joined by newcomers Nicolette’s for the Home, Fez and Ivy and Pearl Cottage in recent months.
“It is wonderful to be a part of it,” Dr. Ivy said. “Everyone is so supportive of each other, this street is really blowing up.”
In addition to skincare and home goods, Dr. Ivy aims to use the pop-up space as a platform for community connection and wellness education. Rica hosts events such as wine tastings and plans to schedule demonstrations in the fall, including a how-to on making a pumpkin facemask at home.
The Rica pop-up will be open through Christmas and possibly beyond. Dr. Ivy is planning to move all the product production from Brooklyn to the North Fork in 2020 and potentially continue the pop up.
“We’ll see,” Dr. Ivy said. “I love being in Southold and interacting with the customers.”
Rica Bath and Body is located at 54127 Main Road, Southold
