Story & Lesson Highlights with Adrienne Grolbert of Parker

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Adrienne Grolbert. Check out our conversation below.

Adrienne, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
I think one thing that is often misunderstood about my shop, and perhaps refill shops in general, is the idea that we are little Costco’s. People see product in bulk or semi-bulk amounts and think ‘Oh, this a bulk store so it’s cheaper’ and then get confused when it isn’t dollar store prices. I don’t blame them! It’s a little confusing with our current consumer structure. But the reality is that I buy in semi-bulk so that our patrons can help reduce their single-use plastic use while getting clean, USA-made products. It isn’t the same as the less expensive bulk soap products, made overseas with less than stellar ingredients that you can get a those big box stores. It’s also not the same as the products you get at dollar stores.
We can’t compete with those stores!
But we never set out to. We are focused on clean products that support health, help keep the environment clean, and support American jobs. That’s just not going to cost the same.
Refill shops aren’t ‘bulk discount’ shops; they are shops that support a bigger causes.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Adrienne Grolbert, a nurse-turned-shop-owner here in Parker, Colorado. Maybe it was my hippy-dippy roots from growing up in Oregon or a continued desire to help people beyond nursing (or both) that inspired me to want to open a shop that helps keep plastic out of landfills and endocrine disruptors off of people. Refillary seeks to support the local community by helping simplify sustainability and provide clean, USA-made, household and personal care products to the greater Parker area. We love supporting local farms as well and are a pickup site for raw cow and goat milk from local Parker-area dairies AND we sell fresh locally-baked sourdough bread every Friday! (Even have gluten-free friendly versions!) Refillary often hosts yoga, meditation, and crafting events as well! Beyond that, Refillary is a community resource that provides a space for folks to drop of their compost, recycle items that can’t go in a curbside bin, and to reuse jars and containers they already have. One of our claims to fame is always having a foster cat at the shop; we have helped almost 50 cats find their forever homes!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents first and foremost taught me about work. Both of them are retired now but they were lifelong public servants who somehow managed to work full-time and raise three daughters. They always told us that we could do anything we wanted with our lives as long as we could support ourselves! Which is actually great advice. I was raised to be self-sufficient, driven, able to stand on my own feet and taught to be proud of accomplishments. All three of us girls have also ended up in public service in one form or another which is a testament to our parents ability to lead by example, be dedicated workers true to a cause we care about and help others.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t try and match other’s motivation and determination levels; be you and find people that are on the same level as you and you will be way happier. I spent my 20’s working my behind off to save, get a master’s degree, buy a house and do all the things I thought I was supposed to do but I didn’t have a partner that matched my energy! Had I admitted that to myself and surrounded myself with people who did sooner, I could have wasted so much less time and been so much happier working towards goals WITH people rather than against them.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Aliens.
With a universe so incomprehensibly vast, the hubris involved in thinking we are the only creatures is astonishing to me.
But also… Maybe I’m just a scifi nerd who “Wants to believe.”

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What pain do you resist facing directly?
Failing. I make mistakes all the time! I try to learn from them most of the time and usually they aren’t life-threatening. However, actually failing and having to close up shop and walk away gives me heartburn and anxiety and I try very hard not think about it directly. I subconsciously worry all the time that I’m not doing enough or not doing the right things and because I didn’t do XYZ thing, it will all fall apart. It’s been just over 3 years and it hasn’t happened yet but my worry hasn’t lessened. Maybe this is how parents feel about raising children?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.refillary.co
• Instagram: therefillary
• Facebook: refillary

Image Credits
Refillary