Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tina Solak. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tina, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I’ve always considered myself to be an environmentalist, but the meaning of that word has changed for me over time. When I was little, being an environmentalist meant not littering. When I was in my 20s, it meant recycling, composting and bringing my own bags to the store. And today, it means not buying anything unless I really need it, buying things second hand, repairing or repurposing what I already own, shopping local, being vegan, belonging to a CSA, landscaping with native plants, driving an EV and having solar panels on my house.

We can see the effects of climate change all around us, from hurricanes to floods, droughts to forest fires. I have two kids and I worry about the kind of planet I’m leaving to them. I felt that I had a responsibility to do something, not only for myself and my family, but for my community and for South Jersey.

Tina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Tina Solak. I’m a wife and a mom to two boys and two dogs. And since May of 2021, I’m also the owner of The Refill Market, a zero-waste store in Haddon Township, NJ. I made the decision to open my shop because I became acutely aware of how much plastic my family and I were tossing into the recycling bin every week. Every month I was buying essentials like shampoo, body lotion and dish soap in plastic bottles. Well, we now know that less than 10% of plastic that we put into recycling bins actually gets recycled. Most of it ends up in the ocean, in landfills or is incinerated. Plastic takes 500 years to break down and even then it doesn’t biodegrade, it just breaks down into micro plastics that continue to pollute our water, soil, and air, harming wildlife and humans. I opened The Refill Market because I wanted a place to shop where I didn’t have to buy a new plastic bottle every time I ran out of laundry detergent, and I knew that others in my community felt the same way.

At The Refill Market, customers can bring in their own clean, dry containers and fill them up with a wide variety of basics, from personal care products (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, face cream, sunscreen, face wash, toner, curly hair styling products) to everyday soaps (hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent and powder, dishwasher powder) to household cleaners (floor cleaner, glass cleaner, kitchen & bathroom cleaner, cleaning vinegar, castile soap, cream and powdered cleansers). All of our refillable products are vegan and all natural, and the very small number of more conventional cleaners we carry are highly rated by the Environmental Working Group for being safe for humans and the environment. We offer mason jars and glass and aluminum bottles for sale if a customer needs a container. We also accept donations of glass jars that we clean and offer to customers for free.

In addition to refills, The Refill Market offers many sustainable alternatives to single-use household items like paper towels and plastic wrap. We also sell solid versions of many conventionally liquid products, like solid dish soap, shampoo and conditioner bars, solid perfume and mascara.

Finally, we provide recycling to the community for hard-to-recycle items like pens, markers, highlighters, crayons, juice and snack pouches, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers, razors and cartridges, Brita water filters, candy wrappers and bottle caps.

At The Refill Market, we understand that thinking about climate change and plastic pollution can be overwhelming. People often want to do something to reduce their environmental footprint, but they don’t know where to start. Our philosophy is to start small! Make one minor lifestyle change and when you are used to that, try to change something else. The goal is not to be perfect, it’s just to do what you can because every little bit helps. We hope that our presence in the community makes it easier for people to make those small changes!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I dreamed about opening my shop for a long time before it actually happened. I talked about it theoretically and non-stop with friends and family. In my head, I had picked out a name, I knew where I wanted the shop to be and what I wanted my logo to look like. I was like a little girl planning out her fantasy wedding. But when it came to actually taking the plunge, I hesitated. There was always a reason to wait – vacation, holidays, kids’ schedules etc. I think I always put it off because opening a business is terrifying, even when you know what you are doing, and I certainly did not! However, after much cajoling by my awesome and supportive husband, I finally decided I would do it. Just making that decision was simultaneously a relief and an adrenaline rush. I was excited and scared at the same time, but mostly just really excited!

And then the pandemic hit. Suddenly, my kids were home from school, we were on lockdown and for almost a year, our lives changed completely. It was a blow to my momentum and I started to think maybe it was a sign – maybe I wasn’t supposed to open a store. But I talked myself down and instead, I decided to spend that time doing research. I looked for products I could carry in the store and bought them to try out at home. I spent entire days in front of the computer doing marketing research and writing business plans. Eventually, the pandemic eased a bit and I felt like I had some good information in hand, so I thought it was finally time to start looking for a storefront to rent.

And right off the bat I found the perfect location! It was on a great block right next door to a busy restaurant and the place had been sitting vacant for ages. Well, I didn’t get that location, the owners rented to someone else who submitted their application 12 hours before I did. Months went by. Finally another storefront came up for rent down the street from the first. It had been on the market for a day and I was the first person to see it! I submitted an application that same day, but I didn’t get that space either. The owner chose another business.

I was truly frustrated. I had done all I could do until I had a physical location and it was maddening to sit and wait. Nothing seemed to be going my way! And meanwhile, two other refill businesses had opened not too far away. I was worried that maybe by the time I found a space, the demand would no longer be there. Opening a store seemed riskier than ever and again I thought about throwing in the towel.

About a month later, I happened to notice a storefront in the neighborhood that was clearly vacant but didn’t have any signs on it. It was dark and there were shades drawn across the windows. I tried to find out online who owned the building, but to no avail. So I decided to go into the business next door to ask if they knew if the storefront was for rent. The guy working there took my name and phone number and said he would pass it along to the owner of the building the next time he saw him. I had my doubts.

But it turns out the old saying is true: the third time’s the charm! The owner turned out to be a very nice person who was excited someone wanted to rent his vacant storefront. The space needed a LOT of work and we negotiated for a long time on the lease, but I was finally on my way! Patience and persistence paid off and 18 months after I had decided to take the plunge, I finally opened the doors to The Refill Market!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

From the beginning, my store has been a reflection of myself and my beliefs. I try to raise awareness among my customers and the people in the community, not just on the environmental benefits of refilling, but also on a great many other things they can do to live a more sustainable lifestyle, including reducing consumption altogether and reusing or repurposing what they already own.

I also practice what I preach, making the store’s principles apparent to customers when they walk in the door:

– Most of my tables and shelves were purchased secondhand.
– My cash wrap was built from pallets.
– All of my in store display fixtures were (and continue to be) purchased from thrift stores.
– I reuse any packaging I get in my shipments. I make my own small paper bags out of kraft paper. I also use kraft paper to wrap soap and any fragile items that I sell.
– All of my window displays are created from repurposed material. I’ve displayed Valentine’s Day hearts that were made from toilet paper tubes, rainbow Pride Month hearts that were made from food labels, and Christmas trees that were made from cornstarch packing peanuts.

As a result, people in the community have come to trust me as a resource for information and ideas. People tag me in social media posts to ask me where to recycle something or to ask my opinion on sustainable alternatives. Nothing is more rewarding to me than when a customer thanks me for being open or tells me they value the work that I do!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.therefillmarketnj.com
• Instagram: @therefillmarketnj
• Facebook: @therefillmarketnj