We are planning to expand! Will you help us?
We’ve been operating for over two years in our little garage space on Haynes lane, but its time for us to spread our wings and get on the high street so we can reach more people.
We’re re branding and expanding our range, and we’ve got an eye on the old Cambridge pub at the top of Westow Hill… but we can’t do it without your help!
Who are we?
Roots and Cycles—soon to become “The Walkthrough”—is a our hidden cove that has been serving a community of environmentally conscious customers since October 2018. We source locally produced household and beauty products. All of our refill products function on a closed loop system, minimising the creation and use of new packaging. We’ve been a hub of activity (even during lock down) and have helped lots of local people cut down on their consumption, spending, and of course lots of single use plastic.
What we have done so far?
*Thank you Jem for making the infographic and thanks to Adam for helping me with the maths.
We've come a long way since 2018, selling over 25,000 litres of cleaning and bathroom liquids, along with over a1000kg of bath salts and just under 10kg of body butter (at the time of writing)
What do we want to achieve?
- Provide the Crystal Palace community with affordable high quality earth friendly products, prioritising locally made and locally grown.
- Ensure that every product on our shelves is single use plastic free and refillable.
- Continue to work with local makers to help them expand and grow their businesses.
- Organic everything!
- Help educate, inform and connect with one another to know more about living in harmony with nature.
What will we offer?
- - Essential oils, hydrosols, carrier oils, cooking oils and vinegar all on tap
- - Medicinal herbs and teas, organic, UK grown and sourced from afar
- - Various natural minerals in bulk, including magnesium salts, citric acid, and natural bleach
- - Raw nut butters including shea and cacao
- - British made refillable cleaning products
- - Dry food stuff
- - Organic fresh fruit and vegetables
- - Gluten free foods
- - Bicycle delivery service
- - Drop off and collect service
What else are you doing except refilling?
- We prioritise raw ingredients and will provide products in their most raw form to encourage more DIY at home. Not every household is the same so why should all your products be.
- Workshop space - The old Cambridge building would allow us to host and offer space for a number of workshops (all eco related of course) which will let us create an exciting hub for the community.
- Wholesale membership scheme
--Exclusive access to products we might not sell in store and bulk buying direct from our wholesalers, saving money and shopping trips in the long term.
- Pay it forward/discounts for people on benefits
- No food waste
-- Nothing will go to waste. Any food close to their sell by date will be offered at cost price or given away to those who need it.
- Complete transparency
Something you won’t see anywhere else is the extreme detail and information we present in our research of products.
Where will the money go?
We will opt for second hand as much as we can and have already started collecting shelving that we can use, saving on some minor costs down the line. We hope to relocate by the summer, but not everything always goes to plan so we're leaving some room for growing pains. Don't worry though, we continue to be on Haynes lane, so you can still come and see us six days a week.
The sourcing of products is the most important part of what we do so if you ever discover anything about our stock that may be harmful or unethical, we want to hear about it because chances are we haven't thought about it.
What happens if we dont reach our target?
We'll look at a smaller retail unit around the Crystal palace area and reserve funds for stock and equpiment. We're looking at the Cambridge because we love the space and we know what to do with it.
Its has been a joy to share this journey with you all so far-- with all of us together helping make a better world. We're really looking forward to taking the next step with you.
Other ways you can help
- · Share this crowd funder far and wide, with all your friends and family
- · Follow us on facebook @Thewalkthroughuk
- · Let us know about products you would like to see us stock
- · Drop us an email with any articles or research you think we should know about
- . Sign up to our newsletter