Refill, reuse, repeat
Proudly part of Radwinter
A place to slow down
It wasn't until I had my daughter that I first discovered the (relatively newly revived) concept of zero-waste shopping. We were lucky to have a fantastic greengrocer near us who simply stocked almost everything without any packaging at all. When I decided to become vegetarian, it started to irritate me that supermarkets coated almost all fresh fruit and veg in plastic — that's what really got me thinking about how much packaging our grocery shopping came in.
One day a friend told me about a refill shop near her, about half an hour away on the tube. After only a few visits, I noticed the substantial reduction in our household waste — and I quickly became hooked.
After our son was born I didn't want to go back to work in the City. My priorities had changed since having children, and I was seeing the world a little differently — not in a positive way.
We have to treat the Earth a bit better. For our children and their children. I wanted to do something that I thought might make some sort of a difference.
So many friends and family were interested in our package-free shopping, but people find it hard to step away from their normal habits. I decided I wanted to make package-free shopping more accessible for my local area, and got to work on a business plan to open a zero-waste shop in Camden. 2020 was going to be a big year.
As we all know, 2020 had other plans.
When the schools closed just before the first lockdown, Sam and I moved back to Radwinter to stay with my parents. We loved being home so much that before lockdown even ended, we'd decided to stay for good — set up properly in Radwinter, and start the venture out here instead.
With Sam's usual career in events on hold, it gave us both the time we needed to finally get the business going.
A few years on, and The Refill Barn has grown from a small idea into an integral part of the Radwinter community. We've loved watching it become somewhere people come not just to shop, but to stop, chat, and be part of something a bit slower and more considered.
That's why we're taking some time this year to build on what we've started. A few changes are coming that we can't wait to share with you, all in the spirit of making The Refill Barn even more of what we set out for it to be.
We'll keep you posted as things take shape, and we're so excited to welcome you in and include you in this next chapter, when the moment comes.
Melissa and Sam.