Several years ago, Diana Duren was driving home from work when she heard a news piece on the radio about how “only 9% of plastic is recycled and the majority was being sent to Asian countries who were no longer accepting our plastic waste from here in the U.S.”
As a result, she decided to conduct a family “trash audit.” For one week, her family of four separated their garbage to determine how much plastic they used. She was disheartened by the results. “Once I knew all of this, it was hard NOT to know,” said Diana. So in 2020, she and husband Mark opened a market in their 12 South neighborhood so others could access ways to reduce waste. They called it Sage Refill Market. (“Sage means both ‘wisdom’ and a ‘cleansing’ herb in some cultures,” said Diana.)
It quickly became a family affair. Diana worked in the store when not at her full-time job, Mark built all the shelving, daughter Lily painted murals on the walls and daughter Grace, who worked as assistant manager, started a thrifted clothing section in the store, which has become one of the store’s most popular spots.
Today, Sage Refill Market is a neighborhood shop full of the clean scents of natural bath, body and home products both in sustainably packaged containers and in bulk from the shop’s refill stations. They also sell jewelry, candles and gifts that are all eco-friendly. You can purchase sleek bottles to refill products or bring in your own containers to fill.