https://lelacstjean.com/actualite/serviettes-solem-souhaite-faire-briller-la-region/
July 13, 2021
Hébertville – Towels that dry quickly, Marie-Hélène Doucet and Mylène Lessard have made a living out of them. The two entrepreneurs are even getting ready to buy new premises to meet the demand of their Towels Solem business.
“It's going very well, we've had very good growth over the past few years! says co-owner of the microfiber towel company Marie-Hélène Doucet.
As proof, the “heart sisters”, as they like to call themselves, now work full time in their business. A dream they had cherished since childhood.
“We have had an entrepreneurial passion since we were very young. We've always said to ourselves, “one day, we're going to start our own business”. »
A little goes a long way, because the two entrepreneurs are now in the process of buying their first commercial premises. Located at 220 rue Turgeon in Hébertville, this is the building formerly known as Tremblay Assurance.
Three employees will work in what will initially be the company's warehouse. It is not excluded that the offices will move there eventually, since the growth plan of the company foresees that “the team and the premises will grow quite quickly. »
From 12,000 towels sold last year, the two entrepreneurs want to increase this year to 23,000.
Determination
However, finding the right niche was not easy for the two entrepreneurs. Several unsuccessful attempts followed one another until the day when, during a camping getaway, they finally shouted eureka!.
“On a ten-day trip, it rained eight days. We were completely discouraged by our towels, which were slow to dry,” they explain. Solem Towels was soon to be born.
To Every Problem its Solution
Made entirely of microfiber, Solem towels dry in no time.
“Children who take ten towels a day, that's a thing of the past! “laughs Mylène Lessard.
In addition, unlike what was already on the market, they are distinguished by their wide range of colors and patterns.
“We said to ourselves that we were going to make them, our towels, joyfully colorful! »
Equipped with a small storage pocket, they are also very practical, adds Marie-Hélène Doucet. “We make the most compact there is”.
Microfiber dishcloths and make-up remover towels have also been marketed by the company. The products are distributed in several points of sale in Quebec and available on the company's online store.
Great Feat Performed at Dam-en-Terre
In addition, yesterday, the Signature Towels from Solem's new collection were launched. Far from being ordinary, they display the works of painter Laurie Marois, from Normandin.
“We simply love her [Laurie Marois], we have been following her since her debut. She is extremely talented and she has a great reputation,” immediately assert the co-owners of the company Marie-Hélène Doucet and Mylène Lessard.
For the artist as for the entrepreneurs, such a partnership was the perfect opportunity to promote the region.
“When we approached Laurie, she immediately got fully involved in the project! We are proud of our region. So the idea is to promote it by working together,” explains Marie-Hélène Doucet.
This is how Solem's towels will serve as a canvases for four of Laurie Marois' pieces of artwork. They will soon be available at www.solem.ca .
A High-flying Launch!
If the new Solem towels are not trivial, it was certainly the same for their launch.
The staging was perfect as high aerobatic diver Lysanne Richard dove from a 22-meter-high boom lift platform into the waters of Lac Saint-Jean at Dam-en-Terre.
“It was a perfect match. Lysanne is known around the world, but little in Quebec. She comes from the region, and it is here in Alma that she developed her love for high aerobatic diving. »
Always aiming at promoting the region, Marie-Hélène Doucet adds that it was quite natural to make the professional diver their ambassador.