"Our Green Shop" Start Up Phase Two

Aim

To improve the shop's viability and customer-service by investing in more refill equipment, stock-range, marketing and community outreach

OUR GREEN SHOP - THE VISION

Our Green Shop was set up as a result of the loss of a valued health-food store and the passionate call from local climate change campaigners for a genuine zero-waste shop to be established in Bridgnorth.  Over 30 wholefood customers and green campaigners got together and decided to set up no ordinary zero-waste wholefood shop, but one which would be:

• community-owned
• not-for-profit
• democratic and 
• inclusive!

Our aim is to encourage and enable everyone in Bridgnorth to eat healthily and live sustainably by making wholefoods and natural products affordable and available using refills, minimal packaging and volunteers.  

We also aim to use the shop as a base for community activities and campaigns to promote sustainable-living more widely and to help local people take small steps to combat climate change. 

ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE LAUNCH

We launched the shop on a shoestring budget in February 2021, having fitted out only the front section of the shop with refills.  During 2021, we sold over £50,000 

We launched the shop on a shoestring budget in February 2021, having fitted out only the front section of the shop with refills.  We have expanded our hours and range considerably since then. We already sell 160 different products as refills, as well as 60 products sourced from fifteen local businesses including Daniel's Mill flour, Fit Pit toiletries, Apostle coffee,  Bennet and Dunn rapeseed oil and Shropshire Spice stuffing.

During 2021, we sold over £50,000 worth of ethical products.  Our refill service helped our customers save over 2,000 polyethylene bags and over 1,500 plastic bottles.  

Our volunteers have provided the shop with over 1500 hours of support.  Staff, volunteers and customers love the shop which offers a happy friendly atmosphere. Slowly the shop is becoming a focus for community, with people stopping to chat, meeting new friends, wanting to get involved.

We have raised charitable funds for the air ambulance, for Macmillan, against marine pollution and to plant more trees.  We take part in local campaigns such as World Refill Day, Fair Trade Fortnight and Plastic-free July.  So far so good!

HELP US COMPLETE THE START-UP!

We are now appealing for £5,000 of donations to complete the shop set-up, promote the shop more widely, increase sales, improve our service and make the shop more viable.  We also want to offer more lower-priced goods to become more affordable.   

Your donations will pay for:

• an extended range of ethical goods including lower-priced products, local food and local crafts as well as higher-margin goods
• new and repurposed shelves and scoop bins 
• a second till and scales to speed up the counter service
• marketing, printing and publicity materials so we can promote the shop and the eco-living message more widely

These investments will help Our Green Shop take a major step towards viability, and enable us to reach 100's more local people with the climate change message.

Any extra funds we raise will pay for an outreach programme so we can get the climate change message out to those people who are unlikely to come into a zero-waste shop.

YOUR REWARD

To reward your generosity, we offer you a range of our ethical products.  You could claim a delicious smooth carob bar or a jar (or four) of local Haughton's honey, a reusable bamboo mug, a jar of Green Cream Dream skincare (made by Green Woman in Ludlow), a gift set of Bennett and Dunn vinaigrettes with rapeseed oil from a farm in Hilton or a delicious wholefood hamper.  It just depends how much you give.  

Please DONATE TO HELP US complete the shop set-up and achieve our target to break-even by March 2022! 

But if you want to HELP US MAKE IT HAPPEN - please come and join us as a customer, member or volunteer! 

This project successfully funded on 19th January 2022