EP #72 - Beyond the Bottle with Unpacked Living: Reimagining Our Relationship with Everyday Products

Sabrina Auclair founded Unpacked Living in 2019 to combat the overwhelming waste generated by American consumer culture. Her zero-waste store challenges misconceptions about sustainable living, proving that eco-friendly products can be affordable and accessible. Specializing in “naked products” and refillable options, Unpacked Living serves Massachusetts’ North Shore through a physical location and reaches customers nationwide via an online shop. Auclair’s approach eliminates wasteful packaging and makes conscious shopping effortless, emphasizing small changes that lead to a significant environmental impact.

Beyond selling sustainable products, Unpacked Living stands out by meticulously vetting each item, ensuring ethical sourcing and genuine eco-friendliness in an era of rampant greenwashing. Auclair’s journey hasn’t been without obstacles—closing a second location helped her refocus on purpose over profit. Her commitment to meaningful change extends beyond business, fostering a community dedicated to sustainability. Ready to embrace low-waste living? Connect with Unpacked Living on Instagram and Facebook @UnpackLiving or visit unpackliving.com to explore products that align with your values.

Transcript

Introduction to Unpacked Living

Speaker 1 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast , the place where local businesses and neighbors come together . Here's your host , Yvonne Godfrey .

Speaker 2 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast . Joining us today we have Sabrina Auclair . She is the owner of Unpacked Living . Sabrina , how are you today ?

Speaker 3 0:25

I'm good . How are you ? I'm so happy to be part of this podcast .

Speaker 2 0:30

Oh , we're so excited to have you here and to share with our listeners information about Unpacked Living . So can you tell our listeners about your company ?

Speaker 3 0:41

Yes , Unpacked Living was created back in 2019 , and we specialize in plastic-free , zero-waste , ethically sourced . So we are what it's called now a zero-waste store . We serve the North Shore of Massachusetts , but we also have an online store so everybody from all the United States can order from us . And , yeah , we are basically an environmentally conscious store and we provide the products everyday products to anybody that wants to switch their plastic products for environmentally conscious ones .

Speaker 2 1:16

Okay , and how did you get started in this business ?

Origins and Environmental Mission

Speaker 3 1:21

I am from a different country .

Speaker 3 1:23

I'm from Colombia , from Latin America , and our culture is just so different from the consumerism in America . So when I came to live in the United States , I was shocked , basically , at the amount of trash and the lack of resources to manage all the trash and the recycling , and I decided that there has to be a better way than relying on Only recycling our items , and there should be items that are not even meant to be recycled . They're just meant to not be packaged in Materials that need some kind of process , so let's call them naked products or refill products . I should be able to just go to a store and refill my bottle of shampoo instead of having to buy another bottle or just find shampoo that doesn't come in a bottle to begin with . So that's what drove me to it to find these products , to get into this industry that at the time I didn't know existed . So now we are a network of a few stores in a community of zero wasters that want to do better for the planet . That's what drove me to it .

Speaker 2 2:34

Thank you , you're welcome . So , sabrina , what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry ?

Breaking Down Eco-Friendly Myths

Speaker 3 2:47

myths or misconception in your industry . I think the main myth is that eco-friendly products are expensive , and that might be the case a few years ago , but it's not anymore because there's more demand for them . So now eco-friendly products and refills are completely affordable for everyone . We are trying , as an industry , to make them more and more accessible to everyone , and now that's a myth . That's a myth they're not expensive anymore .

Speaker 2 3:12

Beautiful , beautiful . So , sabrina , outside of work , what do you do for fun ?

Community Involvement and Free Time

Speaker 3 3:19

I actually work all the time , but I like to watch movies and just spend time with my dogs and community . I do a lot of community programs where my store is and I belong to many committees and I like to help in the town and making events . So let's say , my free time it's also working event .

Speaker 2 3:48

So let's say my free time , it's also working Okay and at the same time , you're getting the message out .

Speaker 3 3:50

Yes , yes , I just like to collaborate with friends and other business owners . It's nice to have that community .

Speaker 2 3:56

Absolutely , absolutely . So let's change gears . Sabrina , can you describe one hardship or one of life's challenge that you rose above and can now say that because of it , you're better ,

Overcoming Business Failure

Speaker 2 4:08

you're stronger ? What comes to your mind ?

Speaker 3 4:11

Well , there's a few , but I think the main one is that I had another store , so we only have one brick and mortar . But two years ago I opened a second location and that failed immediately . It was really fast and I thought that an environmentally friendly store that was so well received by one community was going to be well received everywhere , and there was nothing further from the truth . It was a failure from the beginning and we were in this other community for two years but then I had to close it . I actually closed it this year and as a business owner and as an entrepreneur basically somebody that does not know a lot about business that was a huge failure .

Speaker 3 4:55

Obviously , that was a huge hardship and it taught me a lot . Now I know better what to do , what to look for , and it also allowed me to slow down a bit and , like rethink what my business is about and it's not about scaling and growing and just the business side is secondary to the actual mission of our business . So , yeah , that was something that was hard and obviously not a great thing to happen to have a failing business . So , yeah , that was something that was hard and obviously not a great thing to happen to have a failing business . But now it's done and it did teach me a lot and it made me more resilient and more let's say

Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Speaker 3 5:35

wiser . So , yeah , I think that that's the one .

Speaker 2 5:40

Wow , interesting . So , sabrina , please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Unpacked Living Unpacked Living .

Speaker 3 5:51

It's there for you . That's what everybody should remember that there are products out there that are actually made in a conscious , ethical way , which is so hard to find now . Right Nowadays , you don't really know what you're getting . You don't really know what you're buying . There's a lot of greenwashing and lies out there and I think we're all trying to do better . So stores like mine specialize in doing we do the homework for you . We find these products , we find these vendors , the right ingredients , the right materials , the right packaging , so you don't have to go looking for it . So I want people to remember Unpacked Living as that hub of products that you can feel fine purchasing , you can feel fine buying because you know they're coming from great companies , small businesses , family-owned businesses that are doing better for the planet . And , yeah , that's the main reason to shop with us to feel better about yourself and to feel good about our future . As you know , environmentally conscious people .

Speaker 2 6:59

And the beauty is that your service is available and , yeah , we are so happy to serve the community and , just overall , the entire country . So , sabrina , how can our listeners learn more about Unpacked Living ? Do you have a website ? Do you have an email ? How can we learn ?

Speaker 3 7:26

Yes , we do Absolutely . We do have social media . We have an Instagram page at Unpack Living . We have a Facebook page , also at Unpack Living and we have a website , unpacklivingcom . That's where you can shop and learn more about everything we do . And , yeah , you can find us pretty much everywhere .

Speaker 2 7:46

Beautiful . So , sabrina , I really appreciate you taking the time to be with us today , and we wish you and your business all the very best moving forward .

Speaker 3 7:57

Thank you so much for inviting me . This was great . Thank you , thanks for the opportunity .

Speaker 1 8:05

Thank you . Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast . To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show , go to GNPNorthshorecom . That's GNPNorthshorecom , or call 857-703-9406 .