Reusing shopping bags from other stores has helped Patina Green Home and Market cut back on waste. Photo: MorgueFile/clarita
When shoppers leave Patina Green Home and Market, they’re never sure exactly what bag they’ll get to tote their purchases home. That’s because owner Kaci Lyford is a firm believer in reusing and recycling — and she saw eliminating shopping bags from her store as an immediate way to cut back on waste.
“Our store is all about being green and finding ways to use what is already out there,” says Lyford, who opened the store in McKinney, Texas, with her mother and husband three years ago. “So instead of buying shopping bags for our store, we reuse bags from other stores.”
Patina Green, which started as a place for Lyford and her mother to sell antiques, has evolved into a “modern general store” that also carries an unexpected mix of handmade home décor, soaps, gifts and linens along with fresh, locally harvested market items like eggs, bread and produce.
Initially, they used their personal stash of reusable shopping bags from other stores, but now customers regularly drop off bags that otherwise would have been tossed or recycled.
“We have people who bring in piles of bags and are so grateful because they didn’t know what else to do with them, but didn’t want to just throw them away,” Lyford says.
Each of the reused shopping bags bears a tag explaining that the bag has been recycled and asks customers to consider dropping their old shopping bags off at the store instead of tossing them in the trash. And the unique approach has made for some memorable moments for customers.
“We had one lady who bought some groceries and we sent them home with her in a Victoria’s Secret bag,” Lyford recalls. “She said her husband was just dying when he saw the bag — until she started pulling out bread and eggs.”
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