By Mary Beth Roach
Syracuse husband-and wife business offers an ecological and economical way to buy cleaning products
Troy and Michelle Stevens are introducing Central New York consumers to a trending way to buy a variety of cleaning products at their new business called Eastwood Refillery, which opened in April.
The products range from cleaning supplies to detergent, from hand soap and body wash to shampoos, to name a few.
“Everything is designed to be clean and green, eco-friendly, non toxic, plastic-free as much as possible,” Troy said.
Rather than tossing out the used bottles of product, shoppers can bring their empty containers to the shop at 113 S. Midler Ave. (near the James Street intersection) and refill them from the clear canisters neatly arranged and clearly labeled on tables displayed in the store. The used containers are weighed when customers enter and weighed again when they’re leaving and so they’re paying for only the product. Moreover, the products are sold by the ounce, so customers buy just what they need.
But the inventory is not limited to cleaning products. The Stevenses also offer a number of other items, which are reusable, such as colorful totes and dish towels and even beeswax wrap, which can be used instead of plastic wrap. At the checkout area there are displays of refillable pens and necklaces that Troy crafted.
Their entry into this kind of business originally stemmed from Michelle’s efforts to deal with her Crohn’s disease. She buys products with clean ingredients because she has to be careful about putting any kind of toxin or food additive in her system, Troy said.
Then while Michelle was visiting their daughter in Ohio, the pair went to a refillery. They are popular in Europe, Troy said, and are trending in larger cities here in the U.S. Troy said that Michelle called him about the store and they thought it was a phenomenal idea to try here.
The couple has a bit of entrepreneurial spirit in them. Michelle said she had run a cleaning business years ago, and Troy had dreams of opening a shop to sell wooden toys or a general store.
They started their enterprise at the CNY Regional Market last October, where they were able to learn a lot and pick up pointers from other vendors and their business was meeting with a great deal of success. People were even suggesting that they open a store.
One of those people was Stephen Skinner, a friend of the couple and a prominent local developer and real estate broker. And Skinner had a potential site in mind.
Skinner bought and closed on the building in January of this year and the Stevenses were in there about a week later helping to prep their space, which became their store in April. They also continue to operate their market space on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The couple still has careers. Michelle is a surgical technologist and Troy is a CDL truck driving instructor — yet they felt compelled to pursue this venture.
As Troy explained, they’d been looking for a way to supplement their income with hopes of eventually working for themselves. COVID-19 and a fluctuating economy, Troy noted, made them realize that working for others was perhaps not as reliable as it once was.
“Plus, we wanted to do something that we were truly passionate about and was a real contribution to making positive change in our community,” he said. “While we love our careers, we love the life change that this business can provide. We also knew that the timing was right for a business such as this in our community and knew it would do well, especially considering the current environmental and political climate in our world.”
The shop is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, from noon to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Online shopping is always available on the website at eastwoodrefillery.com — as well as tips and uses for their products.
