How has COVID-19 affected your business?

My Eco Order was actually borne out of the pandemic. My previous business effectively stopped overnight as we went into lockdown. The businesses that I was supplying with ethical cleaning products had to close their doors, which meant I had to rethink my business.

I was left with a lot of stock that I wasn’t sure what to do with so I started putting the word out to the local community listing what I had available, and My Eco order developed from there. I started taking orders from local people who were shielding during the height of the pandemic as well as from people who didn’t want to go to the shops. I began making my deliveries by bicycle to reduce the carbon  footprint.

We partnered with Lee Greens so we could offer organic vegetables as part of our weekly deliveries in addition to household items. There was real local need at the time, especially when people were struggling to get certain products from their local shops, so the business was a natural fit in some ways.

What was it like setting up a business during the pandemic?

The delivery side of the business has been running for three months now and we’ve just opened a shop on Harefield Road in Brockley, where we sell packaging free food, refill cleaning products, beauty products and jewellery made from sustainable materials and repurposed metals. The wider community have been really receptive to the products that we sell and we are proud to work with other local independent businesses who share the same eco ethics.

The shop grew from My Eco Order, it was a natural progression in many ways. It gives the option of physically shopping as well as deliveries keeping everyone happy. It’s been great to see the local community support the shop which opened on Saturday 15 August. We’ve certainly had a busy few weeks.

Have you seen an uptake in customers since lockdown has eased?

Demand for home deliveries is definitely still there as people remain keen to minimise how many times they go to the shops, and we’ve certainly seen an increase in trade since lockdown has lifted. 

What are your plans for the future?

We would like to use the shop space as a community hub where we can focus on environmental issues in our local area, but we’re not sure how that works during COVID so will wait and see how and when these meetings can start.