Around five years ago, amid the onset of a global COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Hammock took the nerve-racking jump out of her job in the nonprofit realm to delve into the then-ripe industry of refill stores.

She said a concoction of “a little bit of insanity,” hope and a background in environmental work ended up being a recipe for success. What started as a farmers-market side gig turned into a brick-and-mortar store in Silverthorne, bringing so much support from the community that customers asked for a second location.

Now, she’s finally given them what they wanted by opening a Frisco location, which is something she said she wouldn’t have imagined herself saying five years go.

Opening her first location, Minimal Impact, in 2020 didn’t go without turbulence. The little-known concept her store was centered around and the timing of its opening both came with risk. She first tried to open in March but ultimately had to push a full opening to July.

While the impacts of COVID-19 shattered some businesses, she found opportunity to elevate hers.

“The mass influx of people throwing masks away, people throwing gloves away all the time, it just felt like even more pertinent to show people that there was a way to live with less single-use items,” she said.

That message resonated with people.

Hammock said her Silverthorne store was attracting Leadville, Eagle County and even Steamboat residents in addition to Summit locals. Customers coming from south of Silverthone told her they wanted to see a more central location in Summit County closer to them. 

As many locals do to vet an idea or gauge community interest in something, she took to the Facebook Group “One Man’s Junk” to see if Frisco location would be well received. After getting a resounding “yes” she began working on finding a spot and finally did near Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters on Main Street in mid-December 2024. 

In only the first few months, she’s been able to curate even more of a Summit County following and more of an Eagle County one, too. She said Eagle County-based customers started coming in more regularly after they said their favorite local refill shop closed its doors at the start of 2024.

She said community values about mitigating waste already existed before she introduced Minimal Impact, and so as she provided education more people were prompted to take action.

“I think the one thing that kind of connects us all in these mountain, rural communities is that connection to the environment,” she said. “Whether we like to ski or hike or kayak, people are connected in some way, and I don’t think they want to see the decimation of their outdoor spaces and places.”

Inside Minimal Impact, people can find shampoo, conditioner and other liquid cleaning agents. They can bring their own containers, or buy one at the store to fill up. Hammock said she uses an app to assess how safe products’ ingredients are for humans, pipes in homes and the earth before stocking her shelves. She also looks to carry as many Colorado-made products as possible, like Summit-based Loona Seeds and Two Ravens Soap Co. out of Littleton. 

“We try to find products that come with zero waste and are sent to us plastic free, and we are also very mindful of shipping distances,” she said. 

With her Frisco location, she hopes to host events like plant, toy and clothing exchanges to “get people on the second-hand thought process,” she said.

Minimal Impact is located at 281 Main St. in Frisco. Pricing for the products they carry varies greatly given the nature of what is sold. More information on pricing and seasonally-changing store hours can be found at MinimalImpactLifestyle.com.