ST. PETE, Fla. — There’s a market in St. Pete that’s encouraging people to shop every day like it’s Earth Day. Every product in Sans Market is environmentally friendly.
Owner Eniko Olah was always on the hunt for zero waste products but had a difficult time finding them, so in 2019 she decided to open her own store.
“Sans means without in Latin so the idea is without plastic, without packaging and without toxins,” said Olah.
Over the past few years, she’s stocked the shelves with more than 200 environmentally friendly products.
“So we’re basically trying to get people to switch from single-use plastic items to reusable or compostable items,” said Olah.
She said there are so many things around your house that can be swapped out for a greener version, like your toothbrush.
“Made out of bamboo, same bristles as a regular toothbrush, but when you are done with it it's compostable,” said Olah.
How about buying paper towels, without the paper.
“They are made out of cotton and they are fully reusable,” said Olah.
And dryer balls instead of dryer sheets.
“They last up to 1,000 washes and they are fully compostable,” said Olah.
Sans Market even has a Bulk Bar where you can refill all your favorite soaps and lotions.
“Since you are not paying for the packaging, you are just bringing your own, you are just paying for what’s inside it’s much cheaper that way too,” said Olah.
She said the best part of the job is helping to introduce this new way of shopping to anyone who’s willing to give it a try.
“A lot of people will say, ‘oh my gosh this is so cool I’m so glad this is here,’ or ‘we’ll get a lot of people from other cities, downtown, and they’ll say, ‘oh I wish I had this store in my town,’” said Olah.
