Mimi’s Zero Waste Market, located at 7749 15th Ave NW in the Crown Hill/Ballard neighborhood, recently opened its doors for business. Mimi’s is a specialty market formed as a social purpose corporation by Heather Williams and Berenice Cuautle Arellano, who started zero waste living as a pandemic hobby then quickly turned into plans for a store.
Their mission is to make it easier for the eco-conscious consumers of North Seattle to live with less plastic and single-use packaging that typically goes straight into the trash. Mimi’s encourages shoppers to bring their own clean, reusable containers to purchase organic bulk dry goods (flours, beans, nuts, spices and herbs, grains, and loose leaf teas) as well as hair and skin care products, laundry and dishwasher detergent, and other household items and gifts with little to no packaging. Mimi’s has been working with local producers such as rue Sante for organic skin care, Salon Solids for shampoo, styler and conditioner, and Noir Lux Candle Co.
Mimi’s is passionate about making the old-fashioned ‘general store’ concept new again and making it convenient to minimize plastic use for packaging and food storage. Mimi’s is named for Heather’s grandmother, who was a life-long ‘domestic engineer’ and was a master at baking and cooking from scratch, canning, and taking care of family and friends.
Mimi’s strives to support local and regional suppliers that have ethical and sustainable practices and features products from several BIPOC-owned businesses. Grab your reusable containers and stop on by soon!
