At the front of a Lower Mission refill shop, on a chalkboard that marks milestones of plastics saved, Gabi Dubland lifted her blue chalk and wrote: 10,000.
On a slightly bigger chalkboard at the sunny entrance of a refill store in Vernon, Teresa Sanders raised her blue chalk and scrawled: 100,000. To the owners of both stores 含羞草研究社� FILL Vernon含羞草研究社檚 Refill Store and FILL Kelowna含羞草研究社檚 Refill Store 含羞草研究社� every one of those zeroes says so much.
含羞草研究社淚t takes me back to how it felt in the beginning when I was helping people fill their bottles and seeing the high that they would get in refilling and the impact we were making together,含羞草研究社� said Dubland. She was among the first team of 含羞草研究社榝illers含羞草研究社� when the Vernon FILL store opened in December 2019. 含羞草研究社淚 was so passionate about what we were doing and so excited, people would always ask, 含羞草研究社業s this your store?含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
But it wouldn含羞草研究社檛 be long before Dubland could give a different answer to that question: The Vernon store had only been open a few weeks when Dubland and Sanders began to dream of opening a Kelowna store as partners. In November, that dream became a reality.
After completing significant lease-hold improvements in the span of just a month, in November FILL Kelowna含羞草研究社檚 Refill Store opened on Lakeshore Road含羞草研究社檚 Mission Park Shopping Centre, offering 1,250 square feet of opportunity to refill everything from dish soap and deodorant to shampoo and hand sanitizer across price points. Three months later, the store has already celebrated a major milestone: 10,000 plastics saved.
含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檝e had a really positive response from the community. People have really embraced it and it含羞草研究社檚 encouraging to see the plastic we含羞草研究社檙e keeping out of landfills,含羞草研究社� says Dubland.
She and Sanders identify as 含羞草研究社榮ustainability stewards含羞草研究社� and they remember every photo at the chalkboard.
含羞草研究社淲e were saving so much plastic, the thought of being able to bring that to another Okanagan community was a no-brainer,含羞草研究社� says Sanders. When she opened the doors to the Vernon store 含羞草研究社� several months after winning first place in Enterprize Challenge, a startup boot camp that culminates in a Dragon含羞草研究社檚 Den style pitch to judges 含羞草研究社� she says it was like 含羞草研究社渁 rocket ship took off.含羞草研究社�
Even during COVID-19, FILL has been thriving. The store went online, offered curbside pickup or delivery and began selling surface and hand sanitizer, which arrives in one of three 210 litre drums that circles back and forth from the manufacturer so no new plastic is created. FILL even went through the Health Canada process of creating a new lavender-scented hand sanitizer that含羞草研究社檚 being used throughout Predator Ridge.
含羞草研究社淲e never considered postponing our plans to open in Kelowna,含羞草研究社� says Sanders. They wanted to ensure if people wanted to refill, they could.
含羞草研究社淩ight from the beginning I felt, I have to make refilling more affordable,含羞草研究社� says Sanders, who opted to have FILL carry plant-based and regular grade safe blends as well as organic. 含羞草研究社淲e just want to support people in refilling, so our approach is to find out what someone含羞草研究社檚 needs and price point are, and then help them find the product that含羞草研究社檚 a fit for them.含羞草研究社�
In the spirit of inclusivity while doing something good for the earth 含羞草研究社� and collectively contributing to all those zeroes 含羞草研究社� Sanders says FILL has really created a community of passionate supporters, and those relationships have grown even stronger during COVID, despite sometimes shorter, distanced visits and digital communication.
含羞草研究社淐oming in to FILL is an experience. There is a sense of community and fun and a joy in what we含羞草研究社檙e doing. I think people find it very rewarding. Everyone leaves with a smile and I love being able to say to customers at the till, 含羞草研究社楾hank you for making the world a greener place.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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