We recently connected with Samantha Hanson and have shared our conversation below.

Samantha, appreciate you joining 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.

As a serial side hustler, I have always tested and explored options to create something I believed in that fit my strengths and made a difference. In 2020 I was gifted my first pack of Reusable “Paper” Towels and after a year of using them I decided to try to make a pack myself. I signed up for my first market in July of 2021, completely unprepared but so excited to see what would happen, I sold $35…to a friend but I was hooked. I started building up my market display and inventory and in September of that year I did my next market. I had been to a few refill shops in Denver and loved the idea of being able to refill my own bottles and having a curated shop of eco-friendly items. With the customers requesting more items than towels and a few asking about refills, I slowly started to bring in more items. By January of 2022, I had expanded into offering compostable items and a small number of refills but my car was filed to the brim and my market set up was maxed out. I set an emotional goal to open a storefront by the end of the year but after looking at a few places the timing felt right so I jumped in head first!

Samantha, 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?

We are a full service refillery and eco friendly lifestyle store. We believe in living with the future in mind.

You may be wondering, what is a refillery? Well, we buy in large bulk quantities of over 100 items so that you as an individual can purchase what you need without buying more plastic. You pay by the weight of the product and as a whole we reduce the amount of plastic being ‘wishcycled’ or sent to landfills. What do we carry? Well, to name a few: shampoo, body wash, deodorant creams, skin care, lotions, toothpaste tabs, all purpose cleaner, laundry, floor cleaners, dish soap, pet shampoo, pet wash and so much more.

We also carry items that can be composted at the end of their life or have an extended life and can replace hundreds of their traditional counterparts. A lot of materials you will see throughout the store are bamboo (compostable), cotton (reusable & washable) and silicone (reusable & washable).

We believe in using less and what we do use to be able to be disposed of in a way that wont be around in a waste field or the ocean. Small actions make a huge impact and we firmly believe that no matter what you are able to do it matters. Only can fill dish soap with us? Please come and we will welcome you in!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During the SBA loan process! We were considered a start up because we operated part time before the store opened and had been in business less than a year. After submitting my first business plan, the loan officer suggested we weren’t ready to open a store or go through the process. I knew in my gut it was the right time so I stuck my nose down, did a ton of research and completely revamped my business plan. The loan was dependent on the lease and my lease was dependent on funding, I needed to ace this! After resubmitting, my loan officer said he impressed and we got the funding!

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

I spent a lot of time IN the market, I did every popup and market I could fit into my schedule. We also have a strong team in the store who LOVE our products, they can talk about just about everything because they use and believe in our mission. I think this really sets us apart because people can come in completely unaware of who we are and we can support

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.greenhomeandco.com
• Instagram: @greenhomeandco
• Facebook: @greenhomeandco
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/green-home-houston-5

Image Credits
Hailey E Photography