Gimbels – Hardwater Soap
/“Beige Brainteaser”
I moved to Milwaukee well after the old Gimbels Department Store closed—I wish it was still around. I walk through the former store’s old building (a shell of its former self) every day—and how I wish for the time machine! This is an antique bar of soap (not sure what constitutes an antique in soap terms, but it’s old!) that I bought at the Salvation Army in Cudahy—they had acquired a few cakes and put them in plastic bags, in their “antique” section—still it was cheap. There are a lot of antiques that you can use, of course, but I don’t generally think you’re supposed to use them up—because then they’re gone! Unfortunately, it had no packaging, just the pale, off-white soap, engraved on it: “Gimbels Hardwater Soap” and the GB (Gimbel Brothers) logo, and on the back: “Use this Cake in Hard or Softwater.” It’s kind of like a larger version of the hotel bar soaps I bought—I want to use them! Someone else can save them in the soap museum. This one was kind of crusty, and scared me a little, but once I started using it, I was delighted by it! Works perfectly fine as soap, and it smells good. The fragrance is quite intriguing—it does remind me somewhat of some of the old hotel soaps, like Cashmere Bouquet—it has the old-time soap smell that I remember from my childhood. This one sort of kills me with the intense nostalgia—I can’t put my finger on the fragrance—it’s floral and powdery, but just really of the past—you don’t smell anything in today’s world like this. I’m sure my parents or relatives had similar smelling soap—there’s nothing that works as a time machine like fragrance! The other funny thing is, in this Connie Blair mystery I’m reading, The Mystery of the Ruby Queens (1958), Connie walks by a Gimbels store in Philadelphia and stops to look at the Christmas displays—so while I’m reading this book, I’m using this soap, and I’m imagining that Connie is using a very similar soap. She is very concerned with grooming and appearance! It’s a little hard for me to picture Connie Blair, actually, but at least I know how she smells!
Soap Review No. 219