Do you feel overwhelmed by packaging waste especially as we learn how many items marked “recyclable” are not actually getting recycled? Good news, businesses right here in Auburn are making a difference. “Refilleries” and businesses featuring refill stations provide necessary products with no wasteful packaging. Basically, you bring your own reusable container (or buy one there), fill it up with the product you're looking for, and pay either by weight (subtracting weight of empty container), or by the fluid ounce. Refill stations can supply you with both staple consumables and specialty items: think earth-friendly cleaning supplies, unique personal care products, specialty drinks, or even pantry staples. It is a wonderful concept that just makes sense.
So next time your shampoo, hand soap or cleaning products are running low, grab some containers and check out these Auburn businesses. And if you know of any other Auburn area stores with refill options, send us a note via the “Contact Us” link at bottom of the page so we can share!
RUTHERFORD RESERVE:
853 Lincoln Way, Suite 110, Auburn(in the Auburn Promenade) 916-833-8040 Open Tuesday-Friday 11 AM to 3 PM, Saturday 11AM- 5PM, Sunday 10AM-3 PM
Karrie Rutherford is a master mixologist – she has been crafting safe, effective body care and home care products for over 18 years and opened her brick-and-mortar store in the Promenade Building in downtown Auburn in 2020. Her journey living with fibromyalgia and as a mother of three prompted her to create products that ensured the best for her family. However rave reviews from both friends and from fans on Etsy convinced her to open a refillery in Auburn. Inside Rutherford Reserve, the walls are lined with large glass jugs of product -skin cleansers, moisturizers, oils, footcare, haircare, as well as products for household cleaning and chores. You can choose if you want items to be left unscented or, under your direction, Rutherford Reserve adds an essential oil blend of your choice.
Karrie enjoys sharing about items ingredients and their chemistry and you can feel her passion for researching, developing, and providing effective, safe, environmentally conscious products. A true family affair, Karrie, her mother and her daughter are extremely helpful in assisting customers select the right product. As I shopped, customers bought moisturizers, soaps and lovely candles. I left the store feeling both pampered and environmentally conscious. My reusable shopping bag carried home a lovely woodsy scented leave-in hair conditioner (in an old hair care plastic bottle now sporting a new stick on label) and powdered toilet cleaner in a large mason jar. I also received a loyalty card - after 15 stamps ,receive $10 of product free!
THE HAUS COLLECTIVE:
882 Lincoln Way, Suite A, Auburn (530) 745-4122 Open Tues- Sunday 10 am -6 pm
Hope Mendes has an eye for design. She and her husband Tom focus on natural materials and a clean, calming style for Haus Collective home décor and home goods. Hope’s careful choices of home items extend to conscientious care of these items, so the Haus Collective features a refill station for laundry, dish, and hand soap from the national brand “Common Goods”. Common Good products have been sold online as an eco-friendlier option than major brands by offering ultra-concentrated plant-based formulas with no sulfates, parabens, or phthalates. Fans of Common Goods now can skip the packaging and mail delivery impacts by visiting the Haus Collective for their refills. Additionally, Haus Collective has beautiful plastic-free cleaning tools: wood-handled toilet brushes, dish brushes, and more. Who knows, could those household chores be more enjoyable with these in hand?
