🥑 Closing the loop one jar at a time

Maison Jar (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

Dear reader,

On a rainy day last December, I stumbled upon a ray of sunshine in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in a store on the corner of Leonard and Nassau called Maison Jar.

This week’s Small Biz:

Maison Jar - a refillery and grocery store for food, personal care, and home essentials – all sold without unnecessary packaging.

All products sold at Maison Jar come without unnecessary packaging.

At Maison Jar, shoppers can bring their own containers - jars, glassware, bags and stashables - or purchase containers at the store. After weighing the empty container, shoppers fill it with the desired product (for example, olive oil or laundry detergent), then label it and pay by weight at check-out.

Maison is French for “house” or “home,” a reflection of owner Larasati’s French heritage.

Growing up in Singapore with Indonesian and French backgrounds, Larasati worked in the food industry and studied food sustainability at Tufts. Her time spent in Europe made her realize the lack of low-waste grocery options in the U.S., which inspired her to launch Maison Jar 3 years ago.

Today, Maison Jar has become a neighborhood favorite and Larasati has been a leading advocate for the closed-loop economy.

The Closed-Loop Economy, or the Circular Economy, is an economic model that aims to eliminate waste and pollution by reusing, recycling, and sharing products and materials.

Maison Jar’s mission is to encourage shoppers to produce less waste, promote a mindful diet, and support local farmers and producers in the process. Photo: Arnaud Montagard

Larasati is proud to have created the community-focused low-waste store that she had found missing in the American consumer market.

“It’s been a great adventure. We’re still expanding, bringing in new products almost on a weekly basis.”

This year, Larasati aims to continue to optimize Maison Jar’s operations, expand product offerings from local vendors, foster conversations within her community, grow her relationships with vendors as well as reduce waste at the vendor level.

How to shop Maison Jar:

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Are you an independent business owner in New York or the Bay Area?

I’d love to visit your store and learn about your business story. It’s a casual conversation, there is no payment involved.

This newsletter aims to:

  • Highlight the passion and dedication of small business owners.

  • Draw out common challenges facing small business owners in order to spark ideas for those hoping to create useful software solutions.

  • Encourage more people to shop locally and feel more connected to their communities.

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I can’t wait to hear from you,

Stella

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