We recently connected with Tracy Chait and have shared our conversation below.
Tracy, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
At Refill Vashon, we work with suppliers who are considered “closed loop” businesses. What this means is we receive our liquid soaps in big bulk containers instead of a bunch of individually packaged plastic bottles. Customers bring their own containers to our store to refill bulk cleaning products. Once the big bulk containers are empty, we ship them back to be refilled and therefore are in an ongoing cycle of using just one container. This reduces a phenomenal amount of plastic (each 30 gallon drum could equal 200-300 plastic bottles) and keeps the same container in rotation for longer, reducing waste while also providing bulk products at stable prices for our community.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started Refill Vashon in 2023 because I wanted refillable products for my own family in an effort to reduce plastic and also have access to non-toxic household and personal care products. I figured it I was wishing our community had a shop like this, others were too. We offer a range of products from dish soap to packaging-free toothpaste tablets, handcrafted lotion bars and some beautifully formulated herbal (and refillable!) shampoos, body washes, mineral salts, etc.
We encourage customers to bring in their own containers to be repurposed at our refill bar, reducing plastic waste and I hope making for an intentional and community-based shopping experience. We also offer a range of household goods, many created on our own island, that celebrate handmade and made-to-last craft, farming and local and sustainable ingredients (think wool, locally harvested clay, farm-direct herbs). I’m proud to share the work of so many dedicated craftspeople from this island and beyond who are devoted to making something better and more durable than what we can find at the you-know-who big box stores.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
My entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy draw primarily from three decades of being a distance runner, actually. I first went out for my small town cross country team in 1990, and I’ve learned so much from my coaches, fellow runners and the practice of running. Those lessons have been so helpful in starting a business: learning to run my own race, primarily, and not worry about what others are doing. Pacing is obviously important, and I think the grit that you gather as a runner, facing all the hills and training runs in the early morning just help you develop resilience and an ability to tune out noise and focus on the path ahead, one step at a time.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
We’ve had local pig farmers and ceramicists together at events that have really been a blast and feel like true community gatherings.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @refillvashon
Image Credits
Abigail Richert
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