FIVE years ago, a business was born in a garden shed aimed at helping customers become more eco-conscious.
Refill Shed moved to Davenham village in May 2021 when the business outgrew the garden shed, with ways of refilling and reusing single use plastics.
Here, in our latest Business of the Week feature, owners Caroline Jamieson and Philippa Johnson tell us the origins of Refill Shed and why their ethos is so important.
If you would like your business to feature as Business or Trader of the Week, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk
Business owners Caroline Jamieson and Philippa Johnson
What’s your full name?
Caroline Jamieson and Philippa Johnson
What’s the name of the business?
Refill Shed
What’s the address?
443c London Road,
Davenham,
Northwich,
CW9 8HP
The business started from a garden shed during lockdown
Are you the owner/manager?
Yes, we are the owners and our friend Kate also works in the shop.
When did you open the business?
We opened in September 2020.
Has it always been in the same location?
No, we started in Caroline’s garden shed, hence the name! We moved into our shop in Davenham village in May 2021, as we outgrew the shed.
Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?
Yes, we were born in Oldham but moved to Delamere Park in the early 1980s.
Customers are encouraged to be more eco-conscious
Tell me a bit about your business. What do you do? What services do you provide?
We are an eco-conscious refill shop, selling products from other small businesses that are kinder to the planet and to us. We offer loose foods, laundry, cleaning and personal care products on refill to help reduce single use plastic, which will hopefully encourage people to reuse and refill the containers they already have. We sell local honey, gifts, cards, candles, pick ‘n’ mix and so much more. We are also a Tropic and Will Powders retailer.
Why did you decide to open your own business?
After recovering from breast cancer, Philippa wanted to use fewer toxins in her home and for herself. While doing her research, she discovered there was a huge gap in the market. It wasn’t easy to buy these cleaner products easily in one shop. Caroline had been made redundant from her job of 24 years and was very concerned about the amount of plastic being used in everyday life.
What’s your business background?
Caroline’s is in payroll and accounts and Philippa’s is in retail and the travel industry.
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Why this type of business?
Our dad Brian Jamieson died from Mesothelioma in 2018. He was a Northwich Town councillor and he was passionate about the environment. In 1997 he helped with the introduction of the wheelie bin in Vale Royal. We had already started to try and reduce our single use plastic a few years before, so we decided to use the money dad had left us to try and help others do the same. We opened our shop on our dad’s birthday, so he is still a massive part of the business even though he is no longer here. As consumers, we are all so used to recycling our waste, but this is now no longer the answer. We need to refill and reuse where we can, and stop living in a throwaway society.
Refill Shed opened in Davenham village in May 2021
Were you open before/during/after the Covid-19 pandemic? How did this affect your business?
We opened the Shed during Covid in September 2020. We managed to do this by offering appointments to shop at the Shed.
What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?
We are very much a village shop. We provide a personalised service where customers can buy as much or as little as they need. You can serve yourself or we can do it for you. The children call us ‘The Fillers’. Our customers like the relationships they can build with us, which they don’t get in a normal supermarket, plus they love to support small and local. The majority of the brands we stock offer a closed loop service, which means we can return our empty containers which are cleaned, refilled and reused. This week alone we have returned more than 80 20-litre containers to one supplier.
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Why do loyal customers return to your business?
Our customers are now our good friends as we go through all the highs and lows of life - ours and theirs. We see their children grow and their dogs as puppies. Lots of our customers will just pop in to say hello and not buy anything, especially the children on their way home from school and we love this. So many people are realising that we have to do our bit to help save the planet and also care about what products we use in our home and on ourselves and our children. Our product range grows all the time, as customers request items and we do our best to provide these. We’ve been told by the children, we have the best pick ‘n’ mix sweets.
Refill Shed offers loose foods, laundry, cleaning and personal care products on refill to help reduce single use plastic
What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your business?
We are in the process of building a new website so we can sell products online, start a click and collect service and also provide deliveries as we are the only refill shop in the area. We also have a sister stall at Altrincham Market called One Small Step which we took over in February 2022.
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