LAKEWOOD, Ohio — There is an old, creaky elevator that represents the historic charm of the Screw Factory in Lakewood.
What You Need To Know
- Refill Goodness is located inside the Screw Factory, which is now studio space for artists, but once was an automobile factory
- Most of the cleaning, home and beauty products are local to Ohio
- Once they officially open for business on Black Friday, shopping will be both eco- and COVID-19-friendly
- Personal shopping appointments, curbside pickup and delivery will be available
- The plan is be a true mobile refillery in a traveling van by spring 2021
“I love that it has such a rich past to it, and that you can still see that in every aspect of the building itself,” said artist Jenn Szalkowski. “This spot itself was the spot of the Templar Motor Car Factory that started in 1916. So, there’s been things happening here for quite a long time.”
A fire in 1921 burned down all of Templar’s grounds except for this building, and today, the space is living a second life.
It’s become home to all kinds of artists for studio and workspace.
“There’s painters, there’s print makers, there’s jewelry makers, there’s a wood shop right here, leather makers,” said Szalkowski.
For years, Szalkowski rented out studio space for glass making.
But this year, she shifted to another long-time passion: Sustainability.
“I grew up in the Girl Scouts. Ever since I was a tiny little Daisy up to a senior, and one of the most important facets of being a Girl Scout is leaving somewhere better than you found it and so that’s been sort of a paramount sort of motto for me growing up and into adulthood,” said Szalkowski.
Szalkowski and her best friend, Jenny Vedrani, are co-founders of “Refill Goodness.”
Vedrani lives in Maryland and the hope is to expand the business beyond Cleveland someday.
“We consider each other soul sisters. We were brought together by our love of music, but also by our passion for sustainability and sort of making a change for Mother Earth,” said Szalkowski.
Most of the cleaning, home, and beauty products are local to Ohio.
Zero waste is the goal through recycled and reusable items. The mission is to make sustainability simple with manageable solutions.
“One of my favorite swaps so far has been toothpaste tabs. So, these are little tabs of toothpaste. What you do is you just pop one into your mouth, chew it up and then you brush as usual,” said Szalkowski.
Once they officially open for business on Black Friday, shopping will be both eco- and COVID-19-friendly.
Personal shopping appointments, curbside pickup, and delivery will be available.
Szalkowski said now is the perfect time to make a change.
“Especially with the pandemic now that we’ve kind of backslid a little bit in terms of disposable items, plastic bags, carry out packaging,” said Szalkowski.
Refill Goodness is hosting a Small Business Saturday event, and the plan is be a true mobile refillery in a traveling van by spring 2021.
Szalkowski’s goal is to provide a place where customers can make conscious choices when filling up on things they need while also filling up on hope for a better future.
“Filling up on hope that we can band together and we can make a difference in our own community in our homes for Mother Earth,” she said.
