Picture the scene. It’s 10th December 2017. 8pm. A snowy Sunday evening in the West Midlands. The weekend is all but done. The TV is on. Charlie Demetriou is relaxing at home after a long day. It’s time for the final episode of Blue Planet II. The transmission makes for stark viewing. Overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change are damaging ocean habitats.
David Attenborough comes through in hushed tones, with a warning to us all, “We have a responsibility to care for our blue planet. The future of humanity, and indeed all life on Earth, now depends on us!”
Millions of people were watching that night. We bowed our heads. Then, we got up, turned off the TV and went to grab another beer. Not Charlie. Like our other favourite Charlie, Charlie Brown says, “Life has no remote, get up and change it yourself”.
Our Charlie? Well, she did exactly that. Right then. Right there.
A signal came through those electromagnetic waves that night. She dreamed about building a place where she could shop without excessive packaging, without any packaging at all. Within a year she’d made that dream real, opening Zero Store. Since 2018, Charlie’s been bringing plastic free goods to the people of Leamington, Stratford & beyond, helping folks choose to reuse. In 2023 she was our top independent refill store.
One of the original 200L bulk returnable stockists, Charlie has one of the best examples of a cool, independent zero waste store around. Anywhere! It’s a store that’s put together with a giant heart, a good eye, a great team and loads of hard work. Always blazing trails, asking questions, keeping things fresh & helping other store owners, Charlie can show you why refill is important to the community, helping to make the transition away from single use.
Here she is, in her own words. The hero from Zero…
Who are you?
Hi. I’m Charlie. A former primary teacher. Mum to two young boys. Founder of Zero Store.
What is Zero Store?
A zero waste refill shop, set up in 2018. I like to think we’re more like a community than a shop though!
How did you wind up doing what you do?
Meeting in the park with friends in 2018, I talked about my dreams for a place where I could shop without all the excessive packaging. Actually, without any packaging at all. If only our way of living could become more zero waste… The idea of zero was born! A shop dispensing locally sourced, great value, everyday products to people in whatever containers they happen to have. Zero plastic. Zero waste. Zero.
Tell us more about Zero Store!
Well, we sell a wide variety of refillable products and produce in two high street shops and we’re online now too. We offer a friendly, personal service and great value. We select ethical products sourced as locally as possible. We help people out on their refill journey. Many of them have been shopping with us right since the start. From humble beginnings we now have hundreds of products, mostly from small businesses that are just like us!
Who inspires you?
My two boys are a big part of why I started Zero. My hope is for all children to grow up on a healthy planet which they can safely enjoy. Seeing the impact that barely used baby items have on the natural environment was a big catalyst for me. I’ve also been inspired by my parents and my grandparents. I was brought up in a culture of wearing and reusing preloved items. My grandparents grew & cooked food from scratch at their home in Nottingham. Seeing my grandad repair his 10 year-old blue boiler suit at the kitchen table, with a pedal-powered Singer sewing machine, is one of my earliest memories.
What made you choose FILL?
I found Fill on Instagram while planning the first pop up event. At that point I had no idea what I was doing (ha!) But, I knew I wanted to find cool people who had the same wild ideas for changing the way people shopped. I went to visit the factory and met Phill. It was great to see how much effort goes into the formulation of every product. The transparency and approachability was something that set my mind at rest. Fill do things right, without any of the (sadly, all too common) greenwashing!
What was the last song you chose to listen to?
What can we say, Charlie’s got good taste!
Zero Store
41 Russell St, Leamington Spa, CV32 5QB
20b Rother Street, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 6NE
www.zerostore.co.uk
