The Soap Dispensary

When Linh Truong and her husband Stewart Lampe moved from Victoria to Vancouver they missed Victoria's soap refill store, Soap Exchange, so much that every time they went back to Victoria they'd lug all their empty containers with them for refills. Hardly sustainable, this inspired Linh and Stewart to open The Soap Dispensary in their new city of Vancouver. Linh admits, “it was selfish really, I needed to refill my soaps somewhere so I had to do it.”

Opening on Main Street in 2011, Linh had to get permission from the BC Pharmacy Association to have the word “dispensary” in their name. She wasn't quite sure what the fuss was about until she received a few phone calls assuming they dispensed more than soap. “Every month we have someone call who thinks we're a marijuana dispensary. We've actually now researched which of these other kinds of dispensaries are good and responsible so we can recommend them to people.”

The Soap Dispensary may be about being green, but not that kind of green! What they are is one of two spots in Vancouver to buy and refill natural body care products and household soaps and cleaners. While you're filling up you can also pick up DIY ingredients for making your own soaps and products and stock up on plastic-free lifestyle products such as brushes, dustbins, kitchen accessories, zero-waste shaving gear and more. They also offer workshops on everything from making soap to making chocolate.