A business owner from Rothienorman has announced an opening date for her second zero-waste store next month.
Jenni Clark launched refillery and zero-waste shop, Waste A Weigh, in Rothienorman last June.
After around 14 months in business, the 42-year-old celebrated last week after picking up the keys to her second premises. This time, located in the thriving town of Inverurie.
It will boast the same name as her first shop and a team of four.
Waste A Weigh in Rothienorman currently has three members of staff working around the clock, including Jenni.
Taking on Inverurie
Inverurie was among the locations that Jenni originally wanted to launch her business in before the Rothienorman site was selected.
“I looked at Inverurie and Turriff before I opened Rothienorman and, to be honest, with the rental amounts and business rates it was not financially viable at that time to open in those towns,” she says.
“I had been keeping an eye out for available properties and this one happened to come along in July.”
The new shop, based on the town’s High Street, is approximately 47 sqm.
The business owner is hoping it takes no longer than five weeks for the shop to be refurbished and fit for opening.
Jenni said: “The inside of the shop will hopefully have a nice flow to it and have enough space to give the customer a comfortable shopping experience.
“We are going for a rustic look with reclaimed wooden displays and, with the two large full-height windows, this provides the shop with a great deal of light so it has a nice airy feel.”
What can I shop for in Waste A Weigh?
Jenni went on to add: “Some people can find the whole concept of the shop daunting on their first visit if they haven’t visited a refillery before.
“But we have employed lovely, friendly staff who are able to assist you with weighing out and filling their containers to make it a very pleasant shopping experience.”
Zero-waste shops and refilleries encourage people to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
They achieve this by eliminating packaging and asking customers to bring their own reusable, recyclable or returnable containers from home to fill and refill with wholefoods or cleaning and beauty products.
Some examples of products you’ll spot at both Waste A Weigh locations include a wide range of refill food plus cleaning and personal care products, as well as locally-sourced jams, honey, baked goods, and so on.
“A lot of customers now try to shop local to support small businesses so having these things under one roof not only helps the customers but also helps our local suppliers sustain their businesses.”
‘Excited and scared, all rolled into one’
Jenni opened Waste A Weigh as she recognised it wasn’t without difficulty trying to start and maintain a plastic-free lifestyle in today’s world.
She had been in this position herself in her family home.
“We hoped that opening Waste A Weigh would help our local communities reduce their waste by making products more accessible and refilling with us,” she said.
Speaking about the new store, Jenni added: “I’m excited and scared, all rolled into one!
“It’s a risk coming into a town like Inverurie, but we are hopeful that it is the right decision and the shop will be a welcome addition to the town.
“It will hopefully raise people’s awareness about us and what we are about and, given the two locations, it will make us more accessible to people.”
Conversation