A Decade of Fillaree: What I’m Thinking About Now

Hi friends,
Alyssa here. 💛

As Fillaree approaches 10+ years (which still blows my mind), I’ve been thinking a lot about who we were when we started… and who we are now.

When I began Fillaree, it felt deeply important to spend money with businesses that aligned with your values — businesses that were trying to make the world better, not worse. “Vote with your dollar” felt powerful back then. Like choosing where you spent your money was a small but mighty way to shape the kind of world you wanted to live in.

And honestly, that belief carried me for a long time.

Ten years later, I still believe it matters where we spend our money… but I also think I was a little naïve back then. Because fast-forward a decade, and we’re not exactly living in the more just, more sustainable world we imagined we might move toward. In many ways — environmentally, politically, socially — things feel heavier. Sometimes scarier. Sometimes like we’re going backwards.

And it can be hard to hold onto that early hope.

Back then, many of us — small businesses included — felt it was essential to speak loudly and publicly about where we stood politically and socially. It felt important to declare who we were and what we believed, and Fillaree was no different.

I think back to 2020 often. Days after George Floyd was murdered, we felt compelled to show up with clarity. We made the biggest sign we could and put Black Lives Matter right on our storefront chalkboard. And it mattered. It still matters — the sign is still there. I know some people didn’t like it. I know some chose not to shop here because of it. But we also had people tell us that seeing that sign made them feel safe. Seen. Welcomed.

And while so many of those signs disappeared within a year, ours didn’t. Because some things we believe in quietly, consistently, every day — even when we’re not talking about them publicly all the time.

That’s been a shift for me personally, and for Fillaree.
Not less caring. Not less committed.
Just… quieter. More grounded. More focused on our community.
On the actual people who walk in, refill their bottles, and connect with us online.

It’s a strange thing to hold: the hope we had 10 years ago, and the world we’re standing in now. There’s heartbreak. There’s fear. There’s the constant stream of global crises on our phones — climate disasters, wars, injustice, suffering. And at the same time, there’s this tiny, persistent flame that refuses to go out.

And that’s where Fillaree lives.
In that little flame.

So I guess this is me checking in — with you.
Are you okay with this quieter Fillaree?
Do you need us to show up differently for you?
Is there something you want from us that we haven’t been offering?

We’re listening. Truly.

And here’s the other part:
Even though our team is smaller than it used to be, we’ve been able to do more with less. We’re still making the products you love. We’re still connecting with people in our community in meaningful ways. If you’ve ever walked into the shop, refilled with us, engaged online, or used our products — I hope you felt that we do what we say, and we say what we mean.

I’m grateful we’ve made it 10 years.
I’m proud we’ve kept our heads above water.
And even though the future is uncertain (it always is), I’m hopeful for the next 10, 20, 30 years of Fillaree — hopeful for a future that is kinder, cleaner, and grounded in real connection.

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for supporting this little refill dream through all its phases and evolutions.
We love you.

— Alyssa