Buff City Soap is considering leasing the former Pei Wei Asian Kitchen in The Markets at Town Center and converting it into a store making and selling plant-based personal-care and household products.
The city is reviewing a permit application for a $167,000 remodeling for Texas-based Buff City Soap in the 3,200-square-foot building.
The structure, at 4849 Town Center Parkway, was built in 2012 for lease to Pei Wei, which closed in 2020.
The contractor is shown as NNI Construction of Fort Lauderdale. The MT Studio of Troy, Ohio, is the architect.
In a June 2 news release, Buff City Soap, a plant-based home and personal care brand franchise, announced it raised new funding from General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm.
Buff City Soap said it will use the funds to support continued store openings, product category expansion and growth in e-commerce.
The Dallas-based company, founded in 2013, says its mission is to create plant-based products free of harsh chemicals and detergents.
It says it has experienced rapid growth “as consumers are drawn to its differentiated, high-quality offering of soap, laundry, bath, and body products, which are handcrafted daily in each store’s Soap Makery.”
Buff City Soap has more than 100 stores across the U.S. “and has significant expansion planned for 2021 and beyond.”
It has been franchising since 2018 and said it has attracted highly experienced franchisees who have helped extend the brand’s reach to more than 20 states.
“With a handmade product line and a focus on transparency, Buff City Soap has established a loyal customer following,” said Andrew Crawford, Global Head of Consumer at General Atlantic, in the release.
“As consumers increasingly look for high-quality home and personal care offerings that emphasize plant-based ingredients, we believe there is meaningful opportunity for Buff City Soap’s continued growth through product, category, and unit expansion.”
He said General Atlantic looks forward to working with the Buff City Soap management team, as well as existing investors Crux Capital and Guideboat Capital, to scale the business.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
