We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicole Clanahan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicole below.

Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Corey and I always dreamed of owning a business within our community. We have two school aged children, and we were really looking to solidify their roots. With my background in bookkeeping and project management, and Corey’s in big-box retail management, we figured the best way to do this while also offering something of value to our town was by opening a store that offered access to reasonably priced, local and environmentally friendly goods, year round- something bigger towns with more access to stores often take for granted. The concept took many forms since we opened our doors in February 2023. What at first was mostly a package free/low-waste bulk model sort of evolved into a local farm stand eco store with an emphasis on quality, affordability, and the ability to bring and refill a container from home. To this date, the knowledge that we’re gently nudging our community towards more mindful choices has been our biggest motivating factor. We love getting to know our community on the level of fulfilling basic needs and supporting small farms and artisans simultaneously.

Nicole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Our goal is to provide every day goods that are “clean”, without synthetics and chemicals – we do this in bulk with closed loop containers that can be returned to the suppliers. People come in with empty bottles and jars and can load up on products like dish soap, shampoo, laundry soap and feel good about the impact (or lack thereof) they are making on the environment around them. We also feature high quality foods from around the area, many of which are similarly packaged in reusable bulk containers- coffee beans, nuts, granolas, honey, maple products, sauces, candies and more. We’ve recently launched a local farm share program that has taken off in really exciting ways. We coordinate orders with local farms, like Full Circus Farm and Ronnybrook right here in Pine Plains as well as Migliorelli, Samascott and Sun Sprout Farm to provide community access to low cost, fresh and local fruits, vegetables, dairy and eggs.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When we first opened up shop, we thought everyone would immediately ban together to join our quest to consume more sustainably, support local, and bring a brimming reusable tote bag full of empty clean containers just waiting to be filled with our products. Consumerism is much more complex, and breaking habits linked with it (consumerism) is no small feat. We needed to be much more patient than we anticipated (we are still being patient!) explaining the concept in really basic, straightforward terminology and waiting for it to stick. We also realized we need to incentivize customers to add an extra stop and dollar or two towards their already busy schedules and strained budgets. We needed to listen and be receptive to feedback on how to get people in the door. Figuring out how to balance our own ideals with the many focuses of the town around us is an art form as it is for any small town business, and we’re learning, adjusting and evolving daily.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Corey and I often joke that we could sell our services as professional party minglers. We love feeding off of (positive) energy in a room and engaging with people from various places in life- young or old, local or weekender, wealthy, working class, eco-warrior, casual recycler, etc. Walking into an “eco-store” (we’re so much more than that) can be intimidating, but we try to make every person who walks through that door feel at ease. We have a really small team, and we care. We take the time to listen, answer questions, learn your name and your preferences. Customers come in and ask me what kind of hand soap they like the best- we care enough to remember. That concern, that easy conversation and genuine regard for the people who are quite literally keeping your business functioning and alive is so important, and we wouldn’t be here today without it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ruralcenterrefillery.com
• Instagram: @ruralcenter_refillery
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nicole-clanahan