Our History

Refill Delivery

Simple Sundries began in 2019 as a home delivery mason jar refill service of liquid soaps, lotions and cleaners. Modeled after the milkman, jars had deposits and could be returned during the next delivery. This service successfully continued for the five years Simple Sundries operated in Portland, Oregon.

Refill Window

In June of 2020, at the height of the pandemic lockdown, owner and founder Mandy Hurley, converted part of her garage into a walk up refill window where people could safely bring and refill their own containers in an open-air environment. The window remained open every Sunday through the end of 2022 to the delight of neighbors and community members across the metro area.

Salvaging for Reuse

2020 is also the year Simple Sundries began partnering with James Neighborhood Recycling, a local recycling company that picks up hard to recycle plastics. Through this partnership Simple Sundries was able to salvage and collect thousands of plastic lids and pumps which were re-imagined into our unique and innovative mason jar pump lids. These lids help you upcycle existing mason jars into refillable soap and lotion dispensers without creating new plastic.

Storefront

In 2023, Simple Sundries opened a brick and mortar store in the Sumner neighborhood of Portland, a neighborhood that had been greatly impacted by climate policy. Shortly afterwards, Simple Sundries was awarded the illustrious Comcast Rise grant, given to less than 1% of applicants for efforts in the community.

In the summer of 2024, the Portland operation was sold to a Sumer resident and is now Simpson’s Refill Co where you’ll find the continued inclusion and accessibility instilled by Simple Sundries.

Simple Sundries moved across the country where it now offers the same quality, waste-free products in Des Moines, Iowa.

Giving Back

Throughout five years of operating in Portland, Simple Sundries saved over 20,000 plastic items from entering the waste stream, including over 2,000 reclaimed containers that were refilled and donated to local school pantries where they were given to families at no cost to them, keeping that container from the landfill while also keeping those families from buying new plastic containers. Project Save, Refill & Give as it became known, provided over 1,000 vulnerable families and 20 school food pantries with needed products. Home & personal care products are the most requested and least donated items in food pantries across the country.