Spokane Refillery, the household goods refill store, has relocated to 7413 E. Trent, in Spokane Valley, inside of The Plant Project retail store.

Hannah Nelson, owner of Spokane Refillery, says that the homelessness issues in downtown Spokane led to her decision to move from her original storefront, which was in the Hotel Indigo building—formerly the Otis Hotel—at 1105 W. First.

“We were just having a lot of issues,” she says. “People were throwing milk at our shop or at the employees, yelling at us, chasing us, stealing stuff.”

Homeless people were driving business away from her store, Nelson says, although she notes that Downtown Spokane Partnership did a great job of cleaning up her store’s surroundings.

The woman-owned business allows customers to bring in reusable containers and purchase refills of laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sun screen, and a variety of other products, Nelson says.

“We’re just here to help the community reduce their plastic waste and find more sustainable options for their everyday life,” she says.

Spokane Refillery also sells an assortment of sustainable and compostable products, she says.

Although Spokane Refillery is moving into The Plant Project, which is owned by Crystal Priel, it is still its own separate business, Nelson says. The refill store now occupies a section of the retail plant store, which gives Nelson a little more space to work with than her downtown location did, she says.

“I did all my pop-ups here, and (Priel) and I always talked about combining, and we finally just did it. Plants and refillables make sense.”

Nelson says she hopes business will improve at the new location and thinks the store’s proximity to Spokane Community College will be beneficial once the school year starts.

Spokane Refillery and The Plant Project are both open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.