Conversations with Diana Duren

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Duren. 

Hi Diana, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Our family has always tried to be good stewards of the environment, from recycling to composting to using reusable bags and bottles. However, several years ago we learned that less than 10% of our plastic is actually recycled – and countries in Southeast Asia were no longer taking our plastic for recycling (I am embarrassed to admit I didn’t even know it was being shipped to them). We did a deep dive into our family’s plastic consumption to try and figure out how to replace those items with more sustainable ones, and frankly, it was overwhelming. Plastic has become so pervasive that it is in almost everything. We committed to do better but quickly found that it is easier said than done. Resources and availability for sustainable items can prove challenging and we found ourselves piecing together products from multiple places, including a variety of online stores. We craved a convenient one-stop-shop near our home that would help us reduce our plastic waste, and almost immediately began thinking about opening a place like this ourselves. It may sound crazy, but the moment we put this idea out into the world, things quickly fell into place for us, and we decided to take a chance and go for it. We opened during the pandemic, which obviously was not a part of our business plan! However, the support and encouragement of our community have been amazing. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
We have never owned a business before, and so came into this without any practical experience or knowledge, just an idealistic view of the type of store that could be helpful to other people like us — people looking to shop more sustainably. And then the pandemic hit a few weeks after we signed our lease. We don’t know what it would have been like to open a business during “normal” times – it likely would have been different in many ways, but opening during a pandemic was what we had to navigate through. While it proved challenging in so many ways, there were also some bright spots. We opened a little sooner than anticipated by only offering curbside pickup. That allowed us to continue renovations inside the store, but it also meant we had to change up our business model and quickly put all of our inventory on a website (that we hadn’t made yet!). We also had to figure out how to advertise during a time when so many businesses were shut down, or worse, closing. This past year has been stressful, exciting, and rewarding…. which honestly is probably true for most new businesses! 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My husband and I don’t have any experience owning a business — he is a school teacher and I am an art director. But we both care deeply about the environment and took a leap into opening a business that connected to this passion of ours. We feel our store offers a unique experience, but once inside, it’s one that just makes total sense. We have many customers that get so excited about the opportunity to refill their hand soap or their shampoo, with the knowledge that they no longer have to toss out that single-use plastic bottle every time! As one customer told us “It’s so forward-thinking yet it makes so much sense!” That’s exactly how we feel about it as well. 

Perhaps one of the best parts of this journey has been to meet so many incredible people. From the vendors to the customers, it’s such a great community, all kind-hearted people and eager to do what they can to help the planet. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
We anticipate there will be more and more “refill” shops like ours popping up across the country. As people become more aware of the plastic they use and the trash they create, and its impact on climate change, we think they will look for alternatives. Eventually, we hope that consumer demand for more sustainable packaging will push larger corporations to invest in plastic-free options. 

Contact Info:

• Email: support@sagerefillmarket.com
• Website: www.sagerefillmarket.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagerefillmarket/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagerefillmarket