The Story Behind The Store
My name is Jackie Sewell and I set up Buy the Kilo with my eldest daughter Rachael in 2018.
I had an interior design business for over 30 years, during which I also went back to university and studied for a Fine Art Degree. My work was all about highlighting the detrimental effect plastic has on the land and in the sea.
At the same time Rachael was taking a sabbatical from her career as a Barrister. She also started a Socks for Women business called A Woven Plane and was very conscious that the products she used were environmentally friendly.
As a family, we would visit my youngest daughter Jayne who was studying down in Cornwall. She was living a sustainable life and by passing the supermarket as much as she could. She would visit a zero-waste shop, a butchers, a bakers and also got her vegetables delivered directly to her door. After a lot of research, we realised there were no zero waste stores between Darlington and Berwick – and so our journey began.
Since University, I had always wanted a gallery space. I realised there were no places available for artists to exhibit their work, and so Rachel and I decided to look for a space where we could combine the two. People could shop plastic free, and we could also exhibit artists’ work that highlighted issues about the environment.
Our aim when we initially set up the business was to collaborate and promote other like minded businesses.
We have since built up some amazing relationships with a lot of local businesses and now sell a lot of their products in our shop. We have helped and advised over a dozen other shops to open and have created a wonderful zero waste shop community in the North East, all of whom help and support each other with advice.
We have the most wonderful community of shoppers – we are deeply grateful for their continued support and advice; they have made our shop what it is today.
Since University, I had always wanted a gallery space. I realised there were no places available for artists to exhibit their work, and so Rachel and I decided to look for a space where we could combine the two. People could shop plastic free, and we could also exhibit artists’ work that highlighted issues about the environment.
Our aim when we initially set up the business was to collaborate and promote other like minded businesses.
We have since built up some amazing relationships with a lot of local businesses and now sell a lot of their products in our shop. We have helped and advised over a dozen other shops to open and have created a wonderful zero waste shop community in the North East, all of whom help and support each other with advice.
We have the most wonderful community of shoppers – we are deeply grateful for their continued support and advice; they have made our shop what it is today.