Notable edibles: The Glass Jar
A new market has opened at the Players Shopping Plaza in East Dennis next to 7-Eleven and the U.S. Post Office. Inside the freshly renovated store, The Glass Jar, walls are lined with mason jars filled with colorful spices, dried fruit, and lentils and bins with oats, pasta, and flour. The store, which opened in February, aims to counter traditional grocery stores by reducing waste and plastic, and by offering affordable, high-quality products that will compete in price. The market is also the first in the state to sell refillable food items using reusable containers brought by customers.
“People are super excited,” said owner Meghann Lazott before the official opening. Lazott has heard from potential customers as far away as Plymouth. “It’s something new and different.”
The inspiration for the store began with a game she has played with herself for most of her adult life: buying groceries as inexpensively as possible – a game many have played, especially with rising food costs. “I feel like buying food should not be as expensive as it is,” said Lazott. “It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
While having a fun conversation with a family member, the topic arose of what they would get rid of in the world. The answer was immediate: plastic. According to Greenpeace USA’s 2022 report, most plastic is unrecyclable, with US households producing an estimated 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021 but only recycling 2.4 million tons. Lazott, who lives in a 100-year-old home, had already turned to glass jars to keep bugs and pests out of her pantry items. Lazott's two passions of reducing plastic and having affordable food collided, and she wondered if she could bring refillable goods here. It also didn’t hurt that Lazott wanted to become her own boss and open a small business after 15 years of working in veterinary medicine management. “The largest panic I’ve ever had in my life was when I left my full-time paying job,” said Lazott. “I was like, ‘Ok, here we go. Oh, my goodness.’ But it’s been really exciting.”
So, last summer, she began to pare things down and took on opening the small business full-time. Lazott, who has lived in Dennis for over three decades, eyed the open storefront, a quick drive from her home. The store had been sitting vacant since 2015 and had been a locksmith, but had wallpaper and paneling dating back to when it was a florist. “It was a nightmare,” said Lazott. “It was straight out of the 70s. I’m pretty sure they kept the decor and were like, ‘Oh, we’re a locksmith now.’” It took seven months to complete the construction, but now the store is filled with dry beans, rice, baking supplies, nuts, oils, vinegar, coffee and tea.
The store also stocks items from Green Road Refill, a store in Brewster that does refillable soaps, shampoos, lotions and cleaning products. Another display will showcase Lazott's mom’s wares of mittens, scarves and dryer balls made from the wool of the alpacas for which she cares. She shears the animals, spins, and creates the woolen goods herself.
When customers enter the store, they sanitize their hands, then show their containers to the employee working that day (Lazott or her mom) to ensure they meet the standards: The containers can be plastic or glass as long as they are clean, dry and resealable.
Customers take their containers to be weighed, tearing a piece of tape and marking the weight (or tare) on the outside. They can then fill their containers with whatever goods they want, using provided funnels to facilitate easy filling while avoiding contact. Afterward, customers will bring their filled containers to the counter for checkout. Customers who bring their containers will not incur packaging charges.
Lazott plans on staying small, one day adding a delivery service. She hopes to make it easier to bring affordable food to people who need it. “If there is a way I can make that happen, I will make that happen.”
The Glass Jar
1588 Main Street
(Route 6A Players Shopping Plaza)
East Dennis
theglassjarmarket.com
