Willabee Market, the first zero-waste businesses in the county, has opened in a suite at 290 SW Broad St. That’s the same building that now houses Thistle & Moon (which opened in January) and will soon house Maisonette Cafe and Bronzed on Broad. Willabe’s original Vass location has rebranded as The Nectary By Willabe and is set to reopen in March.
With both businesses, owner Mary Garrison wants to encourage the consumer hive to be more intentional with their consumption and reuse what they already have. To that end, Willabe Market is stocked with just about every daily essential in refillable stations, from cleaning supplies to laundry detergent, skincare, grains and spices. You can bring your own refillable container or purchase one from the shop.
Start with something like laundry detergent, which Mary says don’t get reused even if you go through the trouble of recycling them. Bring that empty jug to Willabee where Mary and her daughter Isabella Cilluffo will help you refill it with a more sustainable product, weigh it and charge by the ounce. A rummage through your house will reveal perfectly acceptable bottles and jars for you to refill with anything from face oil to oregano.
“I’m happy to introduce this new concept to Moore County,” says Mary. “I want this to be a fun shopping, educational experience.”
As Willabee prepares for a grand opening in a few months, Mary hopes to keep buzzing with new ways to spread the seeds of zero-waste life like a composting business using coffee grounds, plant clippings and produce from Broad Street shops. She also says muralist Matt Willey is interested in hand-painting a large bee with permission in Southern Pines as part of his The Good of the Hive project.
Willabee also recently got a grant from Duke Energy to install a bee-friendly garden at The Nectary, so people can sit amongst the roses and admire the pollinators.
Willabe Market is open from10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Find out more about both Willabe Market and The Nectary here.
