Ellen Andrick isn't a typical retailer trying to sell customers on the latest must-haves. Instead, the owner of Replenish Refillery in Dover aims to guide shoppers to more sustainable and conscientious purchases. She was inspired by her grandfather, who taught her how to repair and reuse items after he came of age during the Great Depression.
Her shop, which opened in 2022 has two aspects. First, there are sustainable goods like beeswax sealants to replace plastic wraps in the kitchen. Then, there is the refillery, which stocks bulk clean supplies, soaps, and personal care products. People who want to avoid single-use plastics can bring a container to the store and purchase products based on weight. Most items are toxin-free, low waste, and locally sourced.
Andrick, who worked in education before opening Replenish Refillery, often finds herself teaching customers about the products and how to be more intentional with their purchasing power. "I have people across the spectrum in terms of their sustainability journeys," she says. "From people who aren't sure if they want to start to people who are like 'thank goodness you're here.' We're available and ready to support them where they are."
The "soft entry points" for refilling are hand soap, dish soap, and laundry detergent, Andrick says. "A lot of people come in and they're just disgusted with having to buy a big jug of Tide [laundry detergent] and know it's going in the recycling bin and it's not going to be recycled."
From there, people transition to all-purpose cleaning spray and reusable body wash. The most requested items are tooth tabs (a toothpaste alternative), deodorant paste, dry shampoos, and highly concentrated vinegar that can make gallons of cleaning solution.
Since its opening, the store has grown substantially in both profit and the number of customers, Andrick says. She's still in the store most days-although she also has two employees but says that she's working to expand the brand beyond her personal presence. "In an ideal world, I am trying to balance running the store versus running the business," she says. "It's hard to do that, but I'm super happy to be here."
DOVER — When Ellen Andrick was a little girl, she was always amazed by her grandfather's resourcefulness.
Having grown up following the Great Depression, Andrick said her grandfather, who has since died, learned the value of reusing and making the most of what he had available. It’s a lesson that created the foundation for her passion for sustainability.
Andrick recently opened Replenish Refillery in downtown Dover, a zero-waste sustainable retail store at 2A Waldron Court. An educator turned business owner, she calls the endeavor a “midlife revival" harkening back to her grandfather.
Once, Andrick came home from college to find her then 88-year-old grandfather had been on the roof fixing his awning with dental floss.
“There was a little tear in the awning, and he just stitched it up with dental floss, which is more durable than string,” Andrick said. “He just saw function in everything — a sense of value in what we already had. That mindset was a huge inspiration for me.”
Customers of Replenish Refillery will see this spirit in the store.
“The concept of a refillery is still foreign to some, but it’s about simplicity,” Andrick said. “At Replenish, you can bring your own jars or containers and refill them with simple, environmentally friendly home and body products. I carry products that promote living more simply, cleanly and sustainably.”
With her new store, Andrick hopes that others can see purpose in reusing objects and investing into products with a more natural, “low ingredient profile.”
“I hope to educate people and have discussions that give pause,” Andrick said. “There’s a lot of misconceptions out there. Simple living and conscious consumerism can be easy, accessible and affordable. I had a woman come in the other day with her Naked Juice bottle and bought $2 worth of laundry powder, and that will last her for more than 10 loads.”
Andrick had originally hoped to have the store in downtown Durham, where she lives, but the downtown Dover community has welcomed her business with open arms.
“Accessibility to sustainability was key for me to make this work,” Andrick said. “I wanted to be close enough downtown where people live and shop, so it was accessible to everyone.”
How shopping at Replenish Refillery in Dover works
Andrick said refilling your personal care items or household goods is similar to how bulk food stores work. You bring in a container, or pick one from her “jar library,” weigh it, add the portion of the product you want, and pay a per-ounce price for the weight of the product. When you use it up, Andrick said, you bring the jar back and repeat the process.
“Everything is priced per ounce here, right down to the deodorant, toothpaste tablets and the shampoo bars,” Andrick said. “It will come within pennies of a comparable product on the market. It’s not as much about a cost-saving benefit, it’s about choosing sustainably-made products. ”
For example, a 95-ounce box of Tide powder laundry detergent costs roughly $15 at Target, and it equates to 68 loads of laundry. At Replenish, a pre-filled large mason jar of 26 ounces of lemon verbena powder laundry detergent can be purchased for $9, which equates to 56 loads of laundry. Only one tablespoon is needed per load. The price of the detergent is 22 cents per ounce. Andrick said some of the natural products are more concentrated, so you use less and it lasts longer.
What are the products you can refill?
Replenish offers a variety of home and body care products.
You can find products like reusable produce bags, eco-friendly food wrap, reusable paper towels, compost bags, reusable containers and hand towels made from recycled water bottles.
Refillable products include laundry powder, liquid dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, multi-purpose cleaning spray, toothpaste tablets, bamboo toothbrush heads, face cleanser, face moisturizer, bath salts, and essential oils.
What are the products you can refill?
Replenish offers a variety of home and body care products.
You can find products like reusable produce bags, eco-friendly food wrap, reusable paper towels, compost bags, reusable containers and hand towels made from recycled water bottles.
Refillable products include laundry powder, liquid dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, multi-purpose cleaning spray, toothpaste tablets, bamboo toothbrush heads, face cleanser, face moisturizer, bath salts, and essential oils.
You can also purchase reusable jar candles and when it’s burnt through, bring back the empty jar and it’s $5 cheaper for a new candle. She returns the jars to the candle maker, who then sanitizes and refills them. Andrick said that many of the products she carries are either women-owned or family-owned businesses across New England.
‘Choices matter’
Many people don't give a second thought when they throw away an empty detergent container, toothpaste tube or deodorant tube. It’s empty, so it goes on the grocery list to rebuy. Andrick asked, “What if we could break that cycle?” In 2018, the U.S. generated 35 million tons of plastic trash, but statistics show that only 8.7% of our plastic is actually recycled, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency estimates that landfills received 27 million tons of plastic that year.“I hope to change the mentality and educate people about the choices they have and that affirm that what they do does matter,” Andrick said. “Many people are unaware of how much plastic is in their lifestyle. You’d be surprised to see just how much you throw away without a second thought.” Andrick said the goal of the store is to reduce plastic consumption by repurposing the materials that would otherwise be thrown away or discarded.“This glass jar once was a peanut butter jar, but it’s been cleaned, sanitized and now it's ready to serve a new purpose,” Andrick said, holding up a jar from her jar library.
