5Qs with Dawna Mirante, Co-Owner of the Refill Mercantile
What is your job at the Refill Mercantile?
I sling soap! I don’t make any of these products. About 75% of our products are sourced from women-owned companies. I am a co-owner with my husband, Rob. We started this together in 2021 and it’s been really fun! I am a recovering accountant, and Rob was in warehousing and inventory before. [The couple met while working at the clothing store Patagonia in Reno in the late 1990s.]
What does it mean that the Refill Mercantile has its green certification?
We just got our re-certification for Green Business California. This is a statewide certification program that looks at what our practices are: Are we using 100% recycled paper? Are we taking care of our trash properly? Are we composting?
I love getting certifications because then everyone knows that we are doing the work behind the scenes and not just telling you that we are. Customers can know that we are “walking the walk.”
How do you celebrate Earth Day?
At Refill Mercantile, Earth Day is every day! We try our hardest to honor Mother Earth as much as possible by not taking resources that we don’t need from her and replacing as many as we can and helping everyone along the way.
What is one simple thing that anyone can do to honor Earth Day?
One of the easiest things to do to honor Earth Day is to reuse something either by refilling it, repairing it, finding another use for it, or upcycling or downcycling it in your life. Give it as much time as possible before either landfilling it or recycling it.
Customers can find sustainable products like reusable metal straws (top right photo) and are encouraged to bring in their used containers to be refilled with anything from laundry detergent to sunscreen. (CRISSY PASCUAL/PETALUMA VOICE ©2026)
What is something that people don’t know about you?
I am half Japanese. I’m a Navy brat. My dad was in the Navy and we moved around a lot.
In high school my hair was either red, blue, purple, pink, brown, black – all the colors! I was nothing like I am now. I wore mismatching shoes. I was very creative and liked going up against the grain like any teenager who does not want to be like their parents. And then here I am, ending up being like my parents in a way. But I think I’m still fun! And every June I still dye my hair. [Spoiler alert: she’s planning to go pink.]
