Gabrielle Parrulli is changing the community one refill at a time.
Parrulli, 17, is the founder of Gabrielle’s Greenery, which recently opened. The pop-up, which operates out of a refurbished Airstream, has a refillery where empty bottles can be reused and filled with eco-friendly detergents, shampoo, conditioner and more. A thrift clothing rack, succulents and eco-friendly body and cleaning products also are some of the offerings at Gabrielle’s Greenery.
“I’ve just I’ve wanted to do this for years,” Parrulli said. “There’s a lot of thoughts that I’ve had into doing this. I’ve always loved business. I got into environmental science in sixth grade and fell in love with the idea of one person can help change the world. And we can help all together. We just make it easy for each other and that’s part of my mission was to make it convenient.”
Patrons can bring their old shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, laundry detergent, dish soap containers or any bottle of their choice to be refilled with natural, organic and chemical-free products. Bottles must be empty and rinsed out prior to taking for refill. Gabrielle’s Greenery charges by the ounce, and bottles can be filled to a customer’s preferred ounce level. Shampoo and conditioner scents include lavender, lemongrass and sage, and rosemary mint. The laundry detergent is unscented but can be infused with essential oils.
“It’s to help reduce plastic waste and stop the demand,” Parrulli said. “The more you buy plastic, the more the manufacturers make it. So it’s to keep reusing what you already have. And so we use it so it’s healthy for the environment and us.”
Gabrielle’s Greenery extends beyond reusing containers. It also has a rack of thrift clothing for everyone. Parrulli had been selling clothes to friends through the multimedia messaging app Snapchat and decided to incorporate it into her new business. The used clothing is in good condition in a variety of styles for all walks of life. Shoppers will also find vintage jackets decorated with studs and chains by Parrulli’s brother.
To continue with the green theme, the pop-up sells succulents and other larger houseplants as well as pots, soil and more.
“There’s a lot of benefits to them, purifying the air, helping reduce carbon in the air and just helping around the Earth,” Parrulli said.
Gabrielle’s Greenery’s first pop-up took place at the Bridges on Tramway shopping center, 12501 Candelaria NE. The location proved successful and Parrulli plans to frequent the spot. She also has plans for the pop-up at other locations.
For now, Parrulli plans to open the pop-up from 10 a.m. to about 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Customers can visit gabriellesgreeneryrefillery.com and click on the social media links to find out where Gabrielle’s Greenery will pop up next.
Parrulli said she will increase her hours of operation after she graduates from Gilbert L. Sena Charter High School in the summer. She was informed in February that she had enough credits to graduate early. The news was bittersweet to Parrulli.
“I’ve played sports my whole life,” Parrulli explained. “So when I found out there were no sports this year and I was just online for school the entire time, it was more of a motivation to just keep pushing for (Gabrielle’s Greenery). Because I didn’t want to go out like that.
“You know, (it’s) the last years of my childhood and I just didn’t do anything cool. So I’m like, I need something to hold on to, to remember. And I’ve always told people I want to do business, and they kind of would make it sound like I have to wait till I’m an adult. So that was another thing is I’m like, no, I don’t have to, I
can do this now. Let me just try and see how far it goes.”
