BW grad opens Cleveland's first eco-friendly refill shop

While facing mysterious medical issues for several years, Rachel Regula '18 had to eliminate chemicals from her home.

This led her to research the use of excessive chemicals in household products and to offer a first-of-its-kind sustainable and healthy solution in Northeast Ohio.

Reuse and refill

During her research, Regula found sustainable "refill shops" for cleaning products all over the country, but none in Cleveland. A few years later, she decided to open her own refill shop to offer sustainable options to her community.

Regula is the founder and CEO of Little Spark Refill Shop, located in Rocky River, Ohio, and Northeast Ohio's first zero-waste refill shop.

Little Spark gives people the opportunity to reuse their plastic containers and refill them with natural products. This reduces plastic waste and eliminates the use of harmful chemicals found in most cleaning products.

Growing green

By the end of 2021, Regula plans on opening a second refill shop on the east side of Cleveland and her store now offers a multitude of ingenious "green" products.

She is dedicated to making the greater Cleveland community a more sustainable, green and healthier place for its residents in other ways as well. She is a member of of the Circular Cleveland Steering Committee to advance the principals of circular economy: designing waste and pollution out of our economy system, keeping products and materials in use as long as possible, protecting and regenerating natural systems, and creating new and green jobs.

As a BW political science major, Regula took a social issue she was passionate about and turned it into a business that benefits her community.

"I think it's important for anyone to follow their passion even if it wasn't something they went to school for. I had a passion for helping others, for natural products that don't negatively affect your health and for sustainability. I was extremely lucky to be able to put all of those passions into one by opening Little Spark Refill Shop," said Regula.

You can read more about Little Spark Refill Shop in this cleveland.com feature story.