Homefill’s newest, and now only location, is at 7405 Grandview Ave. in Arvada. (Courtesy Homefill Co.)
After six years in RiNo, the refill shop Homefill Co. is closing to focus on a new Arvada location.
“I’ve been really pleased to be in RiNo, I love being there,” owner Kim Whitehead said. “To be honest, this is like my second life so … maybe it’d be better focusing on one and making it really good.”
Whitehead, 72, opened Homefill Co. in the Empire Collective at 2936 Larimer St., a shared warehouse space for six retailers, after working in the corporate world for over 40 years.
Kim Whitehead
“Think about everything you buy over and over again and either kick the container to the curb, or put it in the recycling and wish and hope that it does get recycled,” Whitehorn said.
Those are the type of items she sells in her shop – soaps, cleaning products, lotions and even some bulk food items. People can bring in their own reusable containers or buy them at the store.
Whitehorn expanded to Olde Town Arvada in November, opening a standalone location at 7405 Grandview Ave. After three months of going back and forth, she decided it’d be better to focus on the larger, and unshared, Arvada space.
She said the RiNo store will close by the end of the month when her lease is up. All of her employees already work at the two locations and will stay on.
“I do feel good about the decision I made, but I did struggle with it because I loved being in this location and supporting the community there,” Whitehorn said. “But I think it’s the right thing to do to grow the business.”
Because the Arvada space is double the size, Whitehorn said she can offer more bulk food. And because it has more storage, she’s hoping to start doing online orders.
Plus, while refill shops have gained some traction in Denver, she noted there’s not as many in the suburbs.
“It’s one of those Catch-22 things,” Whitehorn said. “The more people that do it, the better. Do I necessarily want someone right in my backyard, or would I go in someone else’s backyard? No.”
While her goal is to grow the business and get more people hooked on sustainability, Homefill Co. is also her post-corporate “next life” passion project.
“It’s fun and as long as it’s fun and viable … I’ll keep at it,” she said. “I’m really hoping it grows and really continues to provide a service, and if at some point I decide I should retire, it’s a very buyable business.”
Homefill’s newest, and now only location, is at 7405 Grandview Ave. in Arvada. (Courtesy Homefill Co.)
After six years in RiNo, the refill shop Homefill Co. is closing to focus on a new Arvada location.
“I’ve been really pleased to be in RiNo, I love being there,” owner Kim Whitehead said. “To be honest, this is like my second life so … maybe it’d be better focusing on one and making it really good.”
Whitehead, 72, opened Homefill Co. in the Empire Collective at 2936 Larimer St., a shared warehouse space for six retailers, after working in the corporate world for over 40 years.
Kim Whitehead
“Think about everything you buy over and over again and either kick the container to the curb, or put it in the recycling and wish and hope that it does get recycled,” Whitehorn said.
Those are the type of items she sells in her shop – soaps, cleaning products, lotions and even some bulk food items. People can bring in their own reusable containers or buy them at the store.
Whitehorn expanded to Olde Town Arvada in November, opening a standalone location at 7405 Grandview Ave. After three months of going back and forth, she decided it’d be better to focus on the larger, and unshared, Arvada space.
She said the RiNo store will close by the end of the month when her lease is up. All of her employees already work at the two locations and will stay on.
“I do feel good about the decision I made, but I did struggle with it because I loved being in this location and supporting the community there,” Whitehorn said. “But I think it’s the right thing to do to grow the business.”
Because the Arvada space is double the size, Whitehorn said she can offer more bulk food. And because it has more storage, she’s hoping to start doing online orders.
Plus, while refill shops have gained some traction in Denver, she noted there’s not as many in the suburbs.
“It’s one of those Catch-22 things,” Whitehorn said. “The more people that do it, the better. Do I necessarily want someone right in my backyard, or would I go in someone else’s backyard? No.”
While her goal is to grow the business and get more people hooked on sustainability, Homefill Co. is also her post-corporate “next life” passion project.
“It’s fun and as long as it’s fun and viable … I’ll keep at it,” she said. “I’m really hoping it grows and really continues to provide a service, and if at some point I decide I should retire, it’s a very buyable business.”
