The Realm Refillery — Local services in Portland

I love coming here for so many reasons. First, avoiding plastic while shopping at big box grocery stores is near impossible. Second, shopping low waste as a vegan is so hard, and this store makes it so easy to know what food I can and cannot eat, because I can eat it all.

The snacks are amazing here, the pastries that are sometimes there are always iconic. From everyday staples like flour, sugar, noodles, to the more avant-garde food items like blue garlic, and local plant based faves in low waste grocery form (Im looking at the Dirty Lettuce chicken, tabor bread, ramblin rose, and Vtopian cheese) in the freezer/fridge. OH AND THE PRODUCE HELLO I EAT that everyday! It is local and seasonal fruits, greens, berries, citrus, and veggies, have to love that. If the produce isn't local, it is fair trade and pays back into the economy from which the food came. Talk about a reciprocal relationship right there!

If you are thinking of eating more plant based foods, dont be afraid to chat up the staff, as they have extensive knowledge on the foods and what to eat. Ryan (one of the owners) shares recipes and knowledge in such a loving way that going to Realm feels like going home. Really I couldn't say enough good stuff...

Beware of conditioner bar! As we know this is a cool and fun store with great ideology and design. However, there is a product to steer clear of: the aforementioned conditioner bar. I did not want to buy the liquid conditioner option as I am avoiding lavender (some people do that for various potentially paranoid reasons by the way, so I think there should be one more liquid conditioner option). So I got the Good Juju conditioner bar, which was scarily overpriced at about $20. It made my boyfriend and I have severely itchy scalps for a week and we were slathering coconut oil on our hair every day to no avail. It was especially scary for me as one time for me, an itchy scalp was a symptom of a severe disease. However, my boyfriend eventually identified that the itchiness came from the bar. We stopped using it and the itchiness quickly stopped although we still get some itches weeks later. Also, the container is quite deceptive as the bar is quite a bit smaller than the box, 60% of the...

Can't say enough about how wonderful this store is! You name it, they probably have it and you can be confident that it is all sustainably and thoughtfully sourced. Beautiful produce, incredible spices (even the unique ones that you struggle to find in most stores), toiletries and all the pantry items you can imagine all in one magical store! You can see how much thought and passion goes into this store as soon as you walk in the door. The staff is all incredibly friendly and knowledgable. The system they have in place for bringing your own containers (and taring) is fun and simple to use. Per recommendation, we got a container of their cashew milk yogurt and I highly recommend! I have been thrilled with every speciality item we have tried. Unique granola flavors, vegan broth mix (great to have on hand), flavored popcorn...try it all! So happy to have this store in Portland and just hoping they expand all over the...