Enchanting Soap Collections Take Flight
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
By WESST | June 9, 2026
Earlier this year, Enchanting Soap Collections, WESST incubator tenant and Ascend ABQ cohort member, entered Runway to Success, the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) pitch competition. They were selected as one of nine businesses from a national applicant pool of 120 to pitch at a national competition in St. Louis. While they did not advance to the next round of the competition, Roberta Easter and Chrystal Trykoski are still winning big: they were invited to showcase and sell their products at the 41st Annual AMAC Conference in Maryland this June.
Describing it as the “Super Bowl for airports,” Chrystal says this will be one of the biggest opportunities for exposure Enchanting Soap Collections has ever had. Ascend ABQ will help introduce the mother and daughter duo to connections to help their business expand, and Enchanting Soap Collections are hoping to scale their business nationally by the end of the month.
"I feel like I’m finally confident enough to not be in the swamp but to navigate this business with confidence,” says Chrystal. Chrystal and Roberta have had a team of support, crediting Ascend ABQ, the Albuquerque of Office of Economic Development, and WESST. “To be positioned in the incubator here and at the Sunport we were able to be successful at our own pace. It was the greatest blessing.”
Chyrstal says the consistent fees for rent at the WESST Enterprise Center instead of having a varying overhead have helped their business “to know that we are secure under this umbrella has helped me walk with more ease and confidence.” The WESST incubator program has removed extra barriers to help Enchanting Soap Collections focus on success, and Chrystal loves that she has been able to find support when she needs it in the building where their products are made.
Chrystal and Roberta will be showcasing some of their regular collection at the AMAC conference, along with a new product that was curated exclusively for airport retail. They are heading to AMAC with purpose and preparation, and we are excited to watch them take flight.