A Gloucester nurse is celebrating her third year helping people cut down on plastic after opening a zero-waste essentials shop during the pandemic.
Private care nurse and mum of three, Louise Coleman launched loose food and home essentials shop Fill Your Boots at Space Business Centre Gloucester in January 2020.
Having been open only a matter of weeks before the pandemic and facing an uncertain future, Louise is now celebrating her third year in operation and is hoping to reach more of the Gloucestershire public.
The outlet offers customers a range of loose food, household items and eco-friendly products with a focus on sustainable, packaging-free shopping, as well as zero-waste party pack hires.
Louise was inspired to start the business after her children made her more aware of the impact plastic packaging has on the environment.
She said: “The pandemic was unintentionally a great time for me to start the business. Customers were able to spend more time choosing their purchases and thinking reflectively about the food they purchased, and lots of them have shopped with us ever since.
“The flexibility offered by units at the Space Business Centre also helped with the changing of restrictions, meaning we were able to respond quickly to keep customers safe.
“The short-term contracts available also helped to ease my worries during that time of upheaval and have given me the flexibility to grow my business the way I want to.
“With all my children attending school from next year, I am hoping to really grow the business and with the potential to move into a new unit, the future is looking bright.”
Space Business Centres Gloucester and Cheltenham are owned by property development company AC Lloyd and offer flexible, multi-use units ranging from 275 to 775 sq ft.
Lucy Iles, site manager at AC Lloyd Space Business in Gloucester and Cheltenham, said: “It is absolutely brilliant to see how much Fill Your Boots has grown since arriving at the Space Business Park in Gloucester.
“Fill Your Boots is a wonderful member of the community here as we continue to expand our retail offering, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to enjoy a different way of food shopping that helps customers reduce their impact on the environment while enjoying a friendly and engaging shopping experience.”