A Spicy Take: You're paying too much for spices.

A Spicy Take: You're paying too much for spices.

Why am I telling you this? It's not to topple the grocery store, or line my pockets. I think my hope is that after reading this we will all check in on some of the assumptions we may have about shopping small. 
March 07, 2024 — Marilla Gonzalez
NO SHAME IN THIS GAME

NO SHAME IN THIS GAME

Going plastic free is hard. We can’t all be perfect. Little choices matter. You’re doing great...
February 22, 2024 — Marilla Gonzalez
Galentines Giveaway!

Galentines Giveaway!

Let's hear it for the girls! Each year we grab some goodies from our fellow woman owned businesses and we do a great big giveaway to celebrate one of our favorite holidays: Galentines day! There are so many inspiring and incredible women in our communities and so many of them have businesses that we ADORE...

February 09, 2024 — Marilla Gonzalez
NEW YEAR NEW ME....Mindfully.

NEW YEAR NEW ME....Mindfully.

Hello, and Happy New Year! 
 
Normally this is the moment where most brands talk about “NEW YEAR NEW ME”! They talk about how we’re in a new year, we’re new people, and that’s why you should buy all these new things to kick start new habits. But FRANKLY we’re a few days into the new year and that’s not resonating with me. Do I have goals? Yes. Do I want to try new things? Sure! Do I want to challenge myself to be my best self, of COURSE. But what I want to do the most right now is reflect on all that we have accomplished with each other by steady encouragement and intentionally putting one foot in front of the other. 
 
I used to think about the phrase “NEW YEAR NEW ME” in a future tense, (as in, this year I WILL be different because I will change all these things about myself and start new habits etc.) but this year I’m beginning to understand it in the present tense. It’s already a new year, and I’m already a new me because I’m tackling this coming year equipped with more wisdom, experience, and knowledge than I had the year before. That goes for all of us. 
 
In a sense, my New Year resolution is to celebrate the JOURNEY of last year. Celebrate the lessons learned, the new people I met, the connections that changed me, the challenges that made me stronger.
 
So I SUPPOSE this is a “NEW YEAR NEW ME” email after all but I hope for different reasons. I’m not going to pitch you any NEW products, I’m going to show you what our best sellers were last year. The products that worked for us as a community and the habits that caught on and made us the “new people” we are headed into 2024. The products that made us more mindful, less wasteful, and protected our peace and the planet. 🌎
 
Thanks for the lessons, the experiences, the laughs, the tears, and everything in between. I can’t wait to do it again this year. Cheers to another year and all of you making it possible!
 
January 16, 2024 — Marilla Gonzalez
BUT WHERE DO I START?!

BUT WHERE DO I START?!

When I decided to reduce plastic in my life I was looking at my personal care. Specifically the bottles of body wash in my shower. I found a bar of soap I loved (cucumber scent, like any self respecting 90's baby) and a soap bag to put it in and, voila! Plastic Problem solved. Until I looked at the plastic bottle of shampoo...and conditioner...and shaving gel...and the plastic razor...and the plastic bottle of lotion....and face wash...and, and, and, long story short, pretty soon it felt like the plastic walls were closing in around me. If this sounds familiar, I'm here to tell you that it's normal and it gets better. Maybe you feel surrounded by plastic now, but there will be a time in the near future that you will phase out so much of it you'll be amazed! I know, because that's exactly what happened to me and if I can do it, ANYONE CAN. (seriously, I used to tell my mom I didn't want to own real plates, I just wanted paper, so I could throw them away after every meal. I also had a brief love affair with press n' seal but that's in the past)
May 23, 2023 — Joseph Gonzalez
Is Eco Friendly Economical???

Is Eco Friendly Economical???

We've all been there. We want to buy things that make sense for the planet....but what if they don't make sense for our wallet? With prices rising across the country, this is a fair question! 🕵🏻‍♀️When I opened Marilla's I had two goals: 1. Make it a place where you could find practical plastic free alternatives. 2. Make it a place that anyone could shop no matter their income. 💙💪
May 19, 2023 — Marilla Gonzalez
Is My Detergent Illegal in NY and Other Mysteries...

Is My Detergent Illegal in NY and Other Mysteries...

At the beginning of the month I had my content planned meticulously and this week was SUPPOSED to be dedicated to plastic free dishwashing. Little did I know New York was about to drop a ban on laundry detergents that would TECHNICALLY outlaw some of the most popular brands on the market so the dishes are going to have to wait! 

January 19, 2023 — Marilla Gonzalez
Meet Marilla!

Meet Marilla!

Hi! I'm the Marilla behind Marilla's Mindful Supplies. After years of working in the health food industry I was frustrated that even in my favorite earth friendly shops I still found single use plastic everywhere I looked. Organic snacks were packaged in plastic and I bought the same plastic containers on repeat.

In 2018 I decided I'd had enough and started investigating the possibilities of a shop with little to no plastic packaging. As I searched, I found resources were extremely limited, but I was determined to make it happen.

Taking my experience in the health food industry and a practical mindset with me, I opened Marilla's Mindful Supplies. A place where you can find everyday items without any of the plastic. A place where refilling is simple and sustainability makes sense...for everyone.

January 10, 2023 — Marilla Gonzalez
Life Skills for Jar Hoarders

Life Skills for Jar Hoarders

Some of us are already jar stashers, some of us are teetering on the precipice of jar stashery. Either way, if refilling has peeked your interest you are going to want to know your way around saving a good jar and you might appreciate these time saving tricks! 
5 tips to make refilling easy!

5 tips to make refilling easy!

The idea of refilling is fairly straightforward. Step one: Bring a container. Step Two: fill the container. Step three: repeat steps one and two. Doing this and this alone keeps THOUSANDS of containers out of the waste stream every day and we love being a part of this process. With that being said, I've been in the business of refilling containers for almost a decade now and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'd like to share today that make refilling a bit simpler. A little refill "Savoir-Faire" if you will. 
A large cornflower plant blooming wildly through a crack in a parking lot next to a red fire hydrant

Why Cornflower Blue is the Best Blue.

Hello Friends! Welcome back to the BLOG. I was recently patting myself on the back about how consistent I've been with the emails when I realized I forgot we had a blog. In my head, our emails had become our blog but...that's not the way this works. So here I am back on the blog which I will LINK in the email for the week. Slowly but surely I'm learning. And that's showbiz, baby. 
July 21, 2022 — Marilla Gonzalez
What's Old Is New: The Story behind the jar!

What's Old Is New: The Story behind the jar!

Faced with a rebrand and the job of reworking our logo, I've been thinking a great deal about what our logo means, what our mission is, and what makes us unique. Something that is unmistakably prominent in our logo is our jar so I wanted to take a moment today to talk about WHY that jar is front and center when it comes to our shop's identity. 
September 13, 2021 — Marilla Gonzalez