A new shop on Tolbooth Street aims to reduce plastic waste and help the community with their ecological aims, after its owner said she found it difficult to reduce her own use of man-made packaging.
Fiona Gibson will open the Old Market Refillery today (6 December) following months of refurbishment.
The Gibson family are well known in the town, having Macbeth’s Butchers right next door and Edinvale Farm at Dallas, where they also have a small shop selling their own and others’ local produce.
Micro-bakery
Fiona explained that she intends to establish a micro-bakery at the refillery. “We’ve put in new flooring and given it a fresh lick of paint. We hope to create a small kitchen to allow me to bake sourdough bread and bagels.
She said: “I had talked about opening a refill shop for a long time but it never went further than that.
“We are very aware of our own use of plastics in our weekly shop and unfortunately don’t have the time to travel to the other refill shops nearby to reduce this. Having spoken to quite a few folk, it’s not just us that would like to shop a little more mindfully so we felt this would be a good use for the retail space.
“I would hope the environmental benefits will be significant in helping the community of Forres and beyond to reduce plastic waste. The shop is centrally located so easily accessible by many. We would hope to support as many local producers as we can contributing to the circular economy.”
Scottish and organic
She added that the stock will evolve as she learns what people want: “We hope to stock a selection of dried goods, Scottish and organic will be a priority depending on availability and price. Local milk sold from a milk dispenser, oils, toiletries and cleaning products and of course (all going well) my sourdough bread!
“We also hope to be able to offer a refill service whereby people can drop off containers at the Wee Shed Shop (in Dallas) and we can refill them to be collected from there.
“We are very excited to be investing in Forres and just hope we get the support to make it work.”
It is hoped that the venture will create three or four part-time roles. The building of course is the town’s old market, so the name is a nod to its historical significance.
The Old Market Refillery will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and open late on Tuesday till 6:30pm
They’re on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563273112456
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