Meet Jasper
Jasper is our newest addition to The Village Refillery team! Although they are the youngest member of our small family, Jasper has more retail experience than Roxanna, Yulissa, and me combined! Working to financially support herself from a young age, Jasper has an unparalleled work ethic. On top of that, her love for nature, passion for sustainability, and knack for practical solutions make her a perfect fit for our tiny but mighty shop.
Jasper has lived in New Mexico their entire life and brings a much-appreciated knowledge of herbalism to The Village Refillery. They’ve taken classes led by Camden Cornell and love learning how to use plants for both spiritual and physical healing purposes. An introvert like me, Jasper finds solace in the mountains, exploring the diverse flora and expanding their knowledge of foraging in the high desert.
In addition to working in the shop, Jasper has also been helping me on the production side. For the past few months, we’ve been making soap, lotion, balms, and cosmetics together in my solar powered workshop. As someone with a toxic trait of perfectionism (I’m working on it!), I wasn’t sure how this would go. Delegating and relinquishing control doesn’t come naturally to me. But Jasper has a quiet way of anticipating exactly what needs to be done. Likely a result of growing up without dependable adults around, she is self-sufficient, dependable, and eager to learn. Since starting this business, the times we’ve shared making together have been some of my most memorable and favorite.
QnA with Jasper
Where are your roots? Where do you consider home?
I've spent a lot of time all over New Mexico but right now Albuquerque is home!
What languages do you speak?
English and some German.
What’s your favorite New Mexican dish?
I'm pretty basic - I love a good green chile enchilada plate.
What’s the best place to spend time outdoors in NM, in your opinion?
Can't go wrong with the Sandias! There are so many interesting plants to see and learn about!
What’s your must-have refill product from the shop?
The Castile hand soap! It smells amazing and even though I have very sensitive skin, it leaves my hands feeling soft and moisturized.
Why did you want to work for a Refillery/zero waste store?
I love working at The Village Refillery because I'm passionate about how our actions affect the community around us. Taking steps towards becoming zero waste is incredibly important for the impact on our communities and the planet at large.
Can you share your best zero waste home hack?
I like to melt down the last bit of a candle and make wax melts from it. The North Bay Candles we have in the shop smell incredible and I feel good about burning a clean wax that’s paraffin-free. I’ve even repurposed the cute amber jars to hold my toothpaste tabs!
Jasper intends to continue her herbalism journey but also has a dream of owning a specialty coffee shop one day. She would use her shop as an opportunity to promote ethical sourcing and fair labor conditions for Indigenous workers while developing farm-direct relationships with coffee farmers. She already has the barista fundamentals down, making her own cappuccinos and scratch syrups at home, but she envisions building a place where people can come and create community together. I envision a place where Jasper’s coffee shop can co-exist within our Refillery, and customers can refill beans in coffee cans while also restocking their home cleaning essentials! Maybe someday we’ll get there together.
Whether it's through making soap, dreaming of a sustainable coffee shop, or enjoying a foraging hike in the Sandias, Jasper embodies everything we value here at the Village Refillery. Their passion for social and environmental justice makes them a valuable asset to this business and to the broader community. In their downtime, you’ll find Jasper spending quality time with her partner (a nursing student and Native New Mexican) and their two dogs, Sophia and Clementine.
Jasper is typically your refill attendant on Wednesdays and weekends. Stop by and say hello!
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