(This cute business card also grows wildflowers)
Having roots in Renfrew, I tend to shop there quite a bit. I like wandering down the picturesque main street, window shopping and browsing the local shops. A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were strolling down Raglan Street when a storefront caught my eye.
“Hey, this is new!” my daughter said, noting that I’d stopped. I wondered. What is a refillery? Winemaking? Mystical magic, perhaps? Full of curiosity, we entered the store and found a wonderful addition to the Ottawa Valley.
Valley Refillery is the brainchild of owners Kayla Fraser, Mary Ringrose, and Paige Bennett. The three found themselves frustrated by the lack of local options for low waste shopping and environmentally friendly products. Most stores offering these types of options were long distances and not very convenient. The three decided to open their own store in Renfrew, giving the valley a chance to enjoy the benefits of environmentally friendly products and the ability to cut down on single-use plastics. Their store is open, airy, and full of useful products for cleaning, hygiene, and more. These entrepreneurial women feel that “anything we can refill is so great; to know that we’ve reused a jar or container that would have otherwise been thrown out and filled it with a household necessity is a great feeling. When customers refill, they are preventing a lot of plastic bottles from going to a landfill. They take what they need instead of buying too much and potentially creating waste. We have many biodegradable or compostable items, which will decompose quickly back into the earth instead of materials that don’t break down for hundreds of years. We also provide many reusable options to replace single-use plastics. By refilling, choosing reusable and shopping local, money is definitely saved in the long run.”
Products are varied from edible products such as chia seeds and cornstarch to refillable Dom’s Deodorant, shampoo and conditioner bars, reusable snack bags, and bamboo toothbrushes, to name a few. I personally am a fan of the detergent sheets, which work just fine in my hard water. I am also excited to try the shampoo bars once the bottles at home are used up. Waste not want not, as my mom would say!
Normally our blogs are focused on the awesome work of our volunteers, the nature we are striving to protect, and our council’s projects. Still, we wanted to highlight this great local small business because anything we can do to reduce our environmental impact is a boon to our communities and watershed.
Next time you are in Renfrew, go check out the Valley Refillery at 188 Raglan St. South or head over to www.valleyrefillery.ca
You’ll be supporting a wonderful local business and helping to make a positive environmental impact.
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