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ATTLEBORO - Shirley Jones has been making homemade soaps and bath lotions as gifts for years, but now she has decided to make her hobby her business.

Jones opened Jahada Botanicals & Co. in downtown Attleboro earlier this month to sell her organic products.

Located in a storefront at the intersection of Park and South Main streets, Jahada is occupying the space that U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, once used as his local office.

The store features new age music in the background and shelves of homemade soaps, bath salts, lotions, creams and body wash.

The products are scented with lavender, coconut, spearmint and lemongrass. Jones said there are no preservatives used and all the ingredients are listed on the packaging so customers can avoid problems with allergies.

Many of the products are made with goat milk or yogurt milk, and some feature shea butter, which Jones said is made from a nut from Africa.

Signs in the store warn that some of the soaps "look strange" because they are spotted with ingredients such as Vitamin E and rosemary extract instead of preservatives.

Jones is an Attleboro resident, and said she wanted to open a store in the downtown area when she found the Park Street location.

"I was walking around and I saw it was empty," she said.

JIM HAND can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.