West Coast Refill

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West Coast Refill

Our goal is to help you live as sustainable as possible, by providing quality, affordable, refillable and package free products for your home and body.

Together we can be a tidal wave of change to reduce waste and fight climate change.

07/26/2023

Our last day of operations will be this Friday, July 28th.

The shelves are starting to look a bit empty. All items are between 10 and 85% off.

Refills are now 20% off. We are sold out of dish soap, shampoo and hand soap but we do have laundry powder, dishwasher powder, Epsom salts, baking soda, washing soda, botanical lotion, baby lotion and all three options of hair conditioner.

We are also selling several store fixtures such as dispenser jugs and one gallon glass bottles as they empty out, wooden crates, a wire basket stand and even the grey Boaxel shelves and slat wall board.

As I type this I am listening to a Jack hammer next door. The on going construction that I was promised would be completed before I even took possession of 1620 Store street has driven me out of business after ten months of on going sidewalk closures. I can’t continue when customers can’t access my shop, or are afraid to try.

07/05/2023

West Coast Refill will be closing for good at the end of July. Ironically this July is also our 6th year anniversary of being in business since I opened as the very first Zero Waste focused store on Vancouver Island in 2017 with the dream of making a difference to our world.

When I took the lease at Store Street it was under the impression that the construction next door would be completed by fall of 2022, before I even had possession of the space. Instead it’s been ten months of continuous road closures, sidewalk closures, scaffolding giant trucks blocking the view and access to us. Workers are assigned to stand on the corner and keep people from walking by telling them to cross at the cross walk half a block down from us.

Our little Store Street location was also meant to work in tandem to support and help pay for the build out of a larger location in Langford. Instead we have been operating at a loss for ten months.

The Langford location never happened as the cost rose so dramatically before the tenant build out even got underway that I was unable to afford it or even get access to enough funding for the much increased amount and had to back out before any work got started. Unfortunately not before paying for the deposit, engineers and building permits. It was a huge financial loss and I am still dealing with the back lash of not being able to fulfill the agreements with that property owner.

On a regular basis, people walk into West Coast Refill and tell us what a great idea a refill and sustainable living shop is, how there needs to be one in every community, how lovely the shop and the products that we carry are… and then those same people walk out without purchasing anything and we never see them again.

There have been too many days of sitting in the shop, having cleaned and dusted everything we can and only seeing three customers. Worse we have had several days with no customers.

I appreciate everyone who liked and shared our posts, who took the time to write amazing reviews on Google and social media and who voted for us in various local contests and mostly who chose to refill with us and make a difference. Thank you for all your support.

06/08/2023

Whether you are seeking smooth legs for the beach or a gift for Father’s Day, shaving doesn’t have to mean disposable! 🪒

The single blade of a safety razor offers a closer shave while reducing irritation, ingrown hairs, and razor burn unlike those plastic disposable drug store razors with three or more blades that can drag and irritate.

The heavier brass handle is sturdy and long lasting and allows you to shave without pressure.

It’s screw and post design allows for easy cleaning and changing out of old blade, which can then be recycled at many pharmacies in their “sharps” containers. (Please do not try to recycle blades in your curbside blue bin!!)

Disposable razors are impossible to recycle due to the multiple layers of different grade plastics used in the handle and to hold the metal blades. (We won’t even mention the horrible packaging!) The Environmental Protection Agency once estimated that 2 billion razors get thrown away in the US every year! What doesn’t end up in the land fill often ends up in the ocean.

06/06/2023

🚨🚨NEW STORE HOURS🚨🚨

Closed Monday and Tuesday
11am-5pm Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
I1am-4pm weekends

New hours are already in effect.

In case you missed our posts over the weekend, this is a reminder that due to a slow down of customer flow we are reducing our hours of operation.

We will now be closed both Mondays and Tuesdays of each week.

Opening later at 11:00am and closing an hour earlier on Saturdays.

06/01/2023

We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding.

We hope to see you in the shop with your clean, empty bottles and containers during our regular 10am-5pm hours tomorrow.

05/18/2023

Grab your empties and tell your friends: We have dish soap!

I have brought in a different brand for the time being, as our usual brand comes from Ontario and with the increase in shipping costs, the price to ship the buckets to us is higher than the cost of the product itself! While I search out different freight companies I have brought in some dish soap from the Unscented Company to tide everyone through!

Stay tuned as more product is slowly arriving!

05/11/2023

Can I ask a favour? It would really mean the world to us if you could take a few seconds to vote for West Coast Refill in the 2023 Best of the City contest by Blackpress. We have been nominated in the category of Shopping under two sub-categories: Best Retail Store and Best Zero Waste Shop. This contest will really help more people learn about what we do and how we can help them reduce their waste! Please click the link to go to the voting page.
💚🌎 Thank you everyone! 🌎💚

https://bestof.victorianow.com

05/10/2023

Ever wondered why “old fashioned” natural bristle dish brushes have become so popular again in the last few years?

Natural dish brushes are a cleaner option than their plastic alternatives. The plant based fibres that make up their bristles, most often Tampico or Coconut Coir, have natural anti microbial properties which means it is more difficult for bacteria to grow on their surface, unlike plastic bristles which tend to harbour bacteria. The more popular long handle style offers an easily replaced brush head as well.

Even wooden handles prevent bacterial growth when allowed to dry between uses. These same handles are most often made from either bamboo or birch wood, both famous for their speed of growth and antibacterial properties.

Plastic dish brushes are impossible to recycle due to the multiple types of plastic used in each brush. Their bristles fray and split becoming more porous with use. As the nylon bristles degrade, they end up shedding micro plastics into your sink, which then get washed down the drain into our local waterways.

Once your natural dish brush starts to be too worn down for use in the kitchen, repurpose it to scrub your bathroom or to use on outdoor surfaces like cleaning out flower pots. While the bristles break down quickly in the compost, consider repurposing the wood handles for other crafty projects.

What’s your favourite plastic free method for scrubbing your dishes? Let us know in the comments and make sure you visit our store to check out the variety of dish brushes and other scrub brushes we offer.

04/28/2023

Calling all local Victoria area Independent Brick and Mortar Shop Keepers:

After my recent post about the struggles of my little retail space Downtown, what resonated the most with me was the many beautiful messages and in person visits from other local Victoria area shop owners who feel my pain. I would really love to connect with more local retailers, but ironically, we mostly all keep similar shop hours! Enter social media.

While there are various local business groups on Facebook, I have yet to find a group specifically for Victoria area shop keepers struggling with the challenges of a brick and mortar location in our current economic conditions.

So I created a group for that.

If you are a local Independent Retailer with a physical location (only because the challenges are different than exclusively on line sales or services) please consider joining this new group. I hope it will be a place where we can share resources, help each other over come challenges, cheer each other on, find opportunities to collaborate and support each other and more.

I believe there is room for all of us to succeed if we work together!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3150555601911200/

04/27/2023

Keep single use plastic bottles out of the trash by filling up on your favourite locally made, shampoo and conditioner made from organic plant based ingredients! Bring in your clean, empty and dry bottles to get a refill of our most popular hair care products.

Bulk Sweet Pea Daily Moisturizing Shampoo and Daily Light Conditioner are back in stock! Unscented versions are also back in stock!

A daily moisturizing shampoo and conditioner formulated with certified organic plant, vegetable, flower, and tree extracts. Helps to restore luster, volume, body and shine.

04/22/2023

💚🌎💚

Imaging what we could accomplish if we all starting living as if Earth Day was everyday?

The drive to preserve the natural beauty of the West Coast’s oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains and forests is what propelled West Coast Refill into existence.

I hope one day climate anxiety will no longer be a concern, until then, we encourage you to respect the earth, honour all that it has given us and help preserve it for future generations by reducing our consumption and waste.

Address

1620 Store Street
Victoria, BC
V8W0E3

Website

http://www.westcoastrefill.com/

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