What do you get when you mix a pandemic hobby, a passion for sustainability, and a seriously charming storefront? Located on the border of Ballard and Crown Hill, Mimi’s Zero Waste Market has been helping Seattleites shop more sustainably since 2020. What started as a pandemic hobby for co-founder Heather Williams has grown into a thriving community hub for bulk refills, eco-friendly goods, and low-waste inspiration. We sat down with Heather to hear more about the story behind the shop, how to get started with a zero-waste lifestyle, and what keeps customers coming back.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Where are you located?
We’re on 15th Avenue Northwest on the border between Crown Hill and Ballard. We really lucked out in finding a small space that wasn’t financially too risky and didn’t need a big build-out. It was really ready—move-in ready. And it’s just seven minutes from our home, which, as a small business owner with a day job, is very convenient. Mimi’s is kind of our side project. It was our pandemic hobby—developing the business plan and finding a location.
How long have you been in operation in this location?
We’ve been here for three and a half years.
What was the inspiration behind this store?
Seattle’s first zero-waste store was a store called Scoop Marketplace and it was located on Capitol Hill/Central District. At the time, and I was working nearby and just found it hugely inspirational.
What should a first-time customer expect when they come in? How do you prepare?
You don’t have to prepare—you’re welcome to just come in and check it out, take a look around, and gather ideas. But if you do want to come more prepared, bring your own clean, dry containers, and we’ll help you weigh them, and then you can fill them with any products you like. Buy as much or as little, try some new things, or just buy small amounts of things you only use for one specific recipe, and just check out and see what else appeals to you or what you need. What we love is when people come in for the first time, we can really see the wheels turning because they realize the swaps they can make. Use up what you have, and then when you’re ready to refill, come here and try our offerings.
You found Scoop Marketplace inspiring. If I remember correctly, it and several other zero-waste markets do not exist, but there are some other new ones. So what is the trend, and why is a business like this successful—and what are some of the challenges behind it?
It is a real challenge. I think it’s not a surprise to anyone that the margin—the profit margin—on groceries is very low to begin with. We try to buy in bulk and offer both a really accessible price for the consumer and a very high-quality product. That’s really our priority. But it is a challenge for sure. It’s taken us three years to build a really loyal customer base, and I think entrepreneurs who go into this because of the mission—which is very compelling—forget that it takes that time. So you need extra capital when you start out to really build your customer base.
Why and how is bulk refill better for the world?
It reduces waste because you buy as much or as little as you like instead of being forced to buy a set amount at a conventional grocery store. We also encourage people to reuse their containers over and over, so you’re avoiding a lot of plastic packaging and disposable packaging that doesn’t get reused. And even if you don’t bring your own jars, we keep a shelf of free jars, as well as some that we take the glue and labels off for $0.50. So you can always help yourself to the jars we have in stock.
Aside from the food products, we also offer bamboo toothbrushes, soap dishes, and various products that can go into the compost at the end of their useful life. So again, you’re creating less trash and less garbage for the landfill.
How have you built your clientele and what keeps them coming back?
The quality of our products keeps people coming back once they can buy a little bit to try and realize what they like. The store just has a feel-good quality. When you shop here, you know you’re doing well for the earth, but you’re also doing well for yourself by refilling. And that’s really the key to it, it’s kind of a fun way to shop. You get to see your food and your products and smell it as you’re pouring it and hear it. We try to provide a multisensory experience that you don’t get when you’re pushing your cart and putting bags of plastic into your cart. We’ll ask people if they want help refilling and they’re like, “Oh no, I want to do it myself.” It’s kind of relaxing.
What do you enjoy about being an entrepreneur?
The customers. You know, when you have appreciative customers who really enjoy what we’re doing and they appreciate that we’re here and they tell you that and they let you know that they’re looking for a specific product and wondering if you can help procure it for them and make it available. I just love the customer base that we’ve built.
What are people using up the most, and what are people refilling the most?
People start out with the laundry and dishwasher detergent—that’s a good entrée into zero waste and refilling—then they might try a cut-your-own soap bar, or shampoo and conditioner or body wash or cleaner concentrate. Usually, they start with household products first.
Intentionalist is all about encouraging people to spend like it matters and support small brick-and-mortar retail businesses. Could you say a few words on why this is important?
Yes, I absolutely think that’s important. I think we can be more responsive to customers’ needs and requests. We also try to, in turn, support other small businesses and women-owned businesses here in town and in Western Washington, which is hugely rewarding. I love the vendor relationships that we’ve built with other makers in town. So again, it just comes down to local economy, and then the items also don’t have to be transported as far, so that saves on fuel costs and emissions. So it’s good all around.
What are some other small businesses that you would like to give a shout-out to?
- I would love to give a shout-out to Rue Sante, whose skincare products we carry.
- Our shampoo bars, shave bars, solid dish soap blocks are made in Gig Harbor, Washington by Soap & Clay.
- For the Intentionalist promotion this month, we are featuring Brown Family Barbecue Sauce, which is another locally based maker.
- Seattle Granola Company is another one—delicious products. I think we are one of the very few places you can buy it package-free.
What sort of advice would you give to somebody who wanted to start a brick-and-mortar zero waste market?
Think long and hard. It’s way more work than you could ever imagine. Yes, it is fun, but it’s also a ton of work.
Make sure you write a good business plan. Have a solid business plan so that you have thought through all of the decisions you’re going to have to make. At some point, it gets kind of like decision overload because you have to make so many decisions. But a business plan can help you work that all out and anticipate a lot of different situations.
If somebody wanted to start thinking about how to incorporate more sustainable practices and they don’t know where to start, what would your suggestions be?
It’s a little bit of a catch-22—like, there’s no point in going out to buy a bunch of stuff to be zero waste, right? So that’s where we struggle in our promotions and marketing a little bit because our mission is not “buy, buy, buy.” I think the best thing to do is start with your home—reusing and rewashing, and saving a few jars for leftovers and other purposes. Kind of moving away from plastics where you can to just reusing everyday things. We’ve gotten so used to convenience and feeling entitled to convenience, and that tends to create more trash. So, just start by examining your habits and gradually making changes over time.
Anything else that you would like people to know about the zero-waste market?
Our inventory is always growing and changing. The amount of inventory items we carry has grown immensely in the last three and a half years. So stop by and check out what’s new. Our staff is always really friendly and helpful, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are no dumb questions. Come on in so that you can get the multisensory experience, too!