Interviewee: Sabrina Auclair (she/her)
In your words… Tell us about your organization, business, initiative.
Unpacked Living is a women/Latina-owned zero waste store and refillery with carefully curated sustainable products sourced from companies that share the same values as we do and that care deeply about the planet. We want to make it easier for our customers to shop sustainably!
Tell us a bit about you and why you do what you do? Share your passions for your business, initiative, organization.
I started Unpacked Living back in 2019 because I saw the need for plastic-free and eco-friendly products in the market, but also because I care deeply about the planet and we are drowning in trash.
We all need to do our part to reduce waste but it’s hard to know how to do it or where to start so I created a store where you can be sure you’ll find everything you need and not be a victim of greenwashing and be sure you are spending your money in great companies and causes, supporting local small businesses, and investing in not only your future but the future of your children..
What role do you think your business plays in supporting a more creative community? OR your community in general. (Bonus! Why do you think a more creative community is important?)
Unpacked Living is part of the community and a great asset to the North Shore. We want to leave a positive mark, not our trash. As a totally new industry, Zero Waste stores are very creative in that they are open to anything! we host free pop-ups inside our store to support other small businesses that are starting, we have workshops, we host flower CSAs, we are constantly changing and improving, and collaborate with other businesses and organizations to bring the message to everyone.
We do talks and conferences about reducing waste and are open to anything that we can be of help too. We are excited to be part of the creative collective because we are nothing without community and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.
What was the last book you read or film you watched that made an impact on you?
The truth is as a business owner and only employee, I have ZERO time to read. I am not going to lie to seem “interesting”. I am a pretty basic person and I can watch Harry Potter a million times or Friends on repeat forever.
I LOVE Marvel, Star Wars, and GOT, and after work every day I get home and I don’t really want to think, so my husband and I get stuck watching The Simpsons or Family Guy pretty much every day.
What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you our your business?
I speak Spanish! that was a joke, because of course I do. I am from Colombia. BTW it’s COLOMBIA, not Columbia. People are usually surprised when they learn that I am the only one running the business. They usually think I have employees and someone in charge of marketing or fulfilling online orders etc, and nope, it’s just me.