Owner Jordan Blackhurst founded Dharma + Dwell in early 2020 as a pop-up shop around St. Louis providing eco-friendly home and beauty products.
Later that year, Blackhurst opened the doors to its brick-and-mortar shop on Big Bend Boulevard in Webster Groves, giving St. Louisans a central location to satisfy their sustainability needs with a combination of products, refill stations and community events.
“I wanted to remove as much waste as I could from products,” Blackhurst recalled as one of her inspirations for starting Dharma + Dwell.
Now, the shop sells reusable and low-waste items like bags and totes, refillable containers, cosmetics and cleaning supplies.
While Blackhurst doesn’t create the products herself, she sources them from environmentally conscious local businesses, including brands like Mayfield Vintage and Little Lemon Candles.
Pursuing a sustainable lifestyle can be overwhelming, Blackhurst admits, especially for those just starting.
In fact, Dharma + Dwell’s social media and events manager, Alyssa Barber, advises curious consumers to “not buy anything, and look around you first.”
Barber is no stranger to the sustainability scene. She started freelancing for Dharma + Dwell during its pop-up shop stages, before joining the team in her current capacity. She also runs a sustainability focused TikTok account with over 300,000 followers.
Although Barber’s reuse-first approach might seem contradictory to selling the store’s products, Dharma + Dwell encourages customers to prioritize refilling containers rather than consistently buying new ones.
Customers can buy containers in-store or bring their own to use at the shop’s refill stations for products like hand soap, laundry soap, shampoo and conditioner.
After all, “reduce, reuse, recycle is in that order for a reason,” Barber said.
For those looking to get in the know on the sustainability lifestyle, Dharma + Dwell also provides community activities to spotlight eco-friendly local groups and bring the community together for education about low- to no-waste living.
Each month, Dharma + Dwell hosts a candle refilling event featuring Little Lemon Candles, where customers can bring in containers to be filled with candle wax.
To learn more about Dharma + Dwell products or events, visit dharmaanddwell.com.
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Joshua Wright (He/Him) is the current Managing Editor for the Journal. He was previously the News and Lifestyle editor in spring 2023. He is a media studies major with a double minor in professional writing and scriptwriting. He loves storytelling, especially through writing, and writes across various disciplines, including journalism, entertainment, and advertising. His hobbies include watching movies, exploring the outdoors, and learning new things.
