By Immy Share
Chapel Allerton’s new eco-friendly Refilling Station is set for expansion as it reveals a new store will be opening in Harrogate.
The Refilling Station sells loose natural foods, household cleaning refills and eco-friendly products, encouraging customers to reuse any containers by bringing them to the store and refilling them with bought products.
Owner and founder Kirsty Dodds began The Refilling Station last November as a Chapel Allerton pop-up shop and its success led her to the opening of her first store on Harrogate Road in March.
Kirsty said: “The BBC asked for a volunteer family to have a plastic free week. Off the back of doing that I realised that you can’t really shop or get much that isn’t pre-packed so I started The Refilling Station.”
Since, Kirsty has been approached by Harrogate’s vintage shop, 53 Bo’ Grove, to deliver the same concept there and will open her second store in early November.
“Chapel Allerton is a very accepting area with a wide demographic and a need for a store like this, proven by people’s comments. I hope Harrogate will be the same.”
Chapel Allerton resident Jane Rickard who has been shopping at the station since it opened said: “It helped me to do something I was trying to do anyway.
There’s a real sense of community and you can trust what you are buying. I would do everything to support business’ like this.”
Harrogate isn’t the only place inspired by The Refilling Station concept however as Leeds-born Ruby Cole who is in her final year at The University of Birmingham has also taken inspiration from it.
Ruby worked at The Refilling Station over the summer and has since just launched her own business, Ruby’s Refill, where she is encouraging student houses to make a one-time payment to receive eco-friendly and animal cruelty free household products.
“The selling point is that single use plastic waste is reduced significantly for convenience, to save money, and also to encourage the use of gentle products with less toxins and chemicals.
“Working at The Refilling Station made me more conscious of the way I live and how much waste we produce, but also I began to understand how enthusiastic people are to find tangible ways to help reduce this.
“It’s cool to care!”
More details about The Refilling Station can be found on their website (www.refillingstation.co.uk) and Ruby’s Refill (@rubyrefill) on Facebook.