New Vendor Feature: Madison Venza of Tooth of a Cat Apothecary

It started when LaSalle lost his tooth.

“Handmade oatmeal soap that is molded with an image of a moon lady.” Photo courtesy of @toothofacat on Instagram.

LaSalle—a cat—meant to jump off the couch but miscalculated the distance. The faulty landing resulted in his tooth getting knocked right out.

LaSalle eventually passed, and Madison Venza, his person, was going through old things years later when she stumbled upon her furry friend’s tooth.

“I decided to name my company after my beloved cat and the fond memories that finding his tooth brought back to me,” says Venza, who has since created Tooth of a Cat Apothecary, a company that makes and molds soaps and other aromatherapy products. “It was a reminder that sometimes small things can have a big impact on our mood in a positive way. I wanted to use the knowledge I gained to bring a line of safe and natural products to life that were inspired by art, fiction, fantasy, and folklore.”

Tooth of a Cat Apothecary is a culmination of all of Venza’s interests and passions.

“I have always been fascinated by the relationships between smell, memory, emotion, and the way different scents work together to impact our mood,” Venza says. “...I got started in aromatherapy and molding soaps because I wanted to find a way to express my love of both literature and aromatherapy and to see if I could elicit the same smells and feelings that I imagined when I was reading a great work of fiction.”

Venza’s love for the literary arts goes back to when she was an English major at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating, Venza continued accumulating storytelling experience left, right, and center. She went to New Orleans to study creative writing in graduate school before working at Vanity Fair in New York City. Nowadays, she is a bureau chief for an online publication.

Venza also found time to cultivate her interest in aromatherapy, studying intensely for two years to become certified by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) as a professional aromatherapist.

“As I learned more about aromatherapy my interest grew stronger and I eventually began to develop my own style,” Venza explains. “I found myself looking at soaps and thinking how much better they would look if they were molded. I started to experiment with molding soap into mythical creatures.  In the beginning, there was a lot of trial and error both with design and aromatherapy formulations. I wanted to create functional soap that was natural, chemical free, and nourishing for your skin but also looked like a small piece of art. Eventually, I landed on formulations and techniques that worked well for this medium.”

Part of Venza’s display at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

The actual process of making the products is one of Venza’s favorite things to do. She says she will produce items at least four days per week, and she frequently thinks up new product ideas based on what she, family, or clients are looking for and cannot find in stores.

“Often I look to the seasons for inspiration or art, literature, and travel,” Venza adds. “Lately I have been working on a line of gemstone and astrology inspired soaps and plan to unveil those in the near future.”

We are so excited to have such one-of-a-kind soaps and smells on our shelves! Thank you Madison for sharing your products with us!

Written by Kaiti Neuman.

Part of Venza’s display at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

“Day of the Dead inspired handmade oatmeal soap.” Photo courtesy of @toothofacat on Instagram.

Part of Venza’s display at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

Part of Venza’s display at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.