The Soap Dispensary

This place is fun! Just walked past it and thought I’d check it out. I make my own home cleaning supplies so I picked up some very reasonably priced glass spray bottles. I also found a new dry brush, and nail brush for a really decent price as well. I did see a 10 person line up for ordering the dry weight items, but I was just getting items that didn’t need weighing so check out was quick! It was so packed I didn’t get to look at all I wanted to as the line was blocking most of the essential oils I was interested in, so I’ll have to come back another time :) Very funky store with really nice staff!

I love the concept of this store. The idea of nixing plastic containers and bottles for reusable glass is something I think everyone should try to incorporate in their lifestyle to some degree. My husband teases that I’ve gone a bit granola as of late, but I think we could all stand to learn about environmental sustainability and natural ingredients! Anyway, I’ve always liked browsing the products but never found much need to buy any of their refill/​DIY ingredients until recently when I picked up some raw shea butter for a skincare recipe. The store recently moved addresses on Main Street but already seem to be outgrowing their new location. This place can get quite busy and it’s not always clear who is lining up for a refill and who is waiting for their order to be completed. It’s probably best to take a walk along Main Street for 15 minutes while waiting for your order.
Prices are reasonable for some products/​ingredients and probably more expensive for others. I love the selection of glass jars and bottles which can be used for a variety of things. I’ve even purchased a few amber apothecary bottles for homemade vanilla extract as Christmas gifts for friends and family. When it’s busy there is often a wait to get your refill orders completed. Still, the Soap Dispensary is a great local business and one I’d love to see expand to neighboring cities outside Vancouver.

Returned here again today to refill some supplies. This place is always busy, which is a sign of its good service. I have my staples I refill here: sweet pea shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. Great light scent and chemical free (a common thread in all their products). I also get my laundry detergent here, soap-​a decent selection, and Himalayan salt. They have spices and other ingredients for kitchen mainstays. You can purchase glass bottles and such to refill the products or bring your own container. They also offer some other great natural products for the home. I will keep returning to the soap dispensary because it’s local, great for the environment and affordable.

I love the concept, reduce, reuse, refill. Great variety of household and personal supplies. I’ve come at a variety of times, it’s always busy so factor that in. Sometimes it can be confusing as to whom is being serviced and where the line begins.

I wished they have more locations or better yet, order on line. Love this tiny shop that is unique at good prices. I find myself buying bulk like Costco and refilling the containers at home so as to avoid recycling out small plastic bottles. I do get tired of the same soaps or detergents, so this is a perfect place to fill up your bottles and bring back to try a new soap when needed. Love the concept and I feel I am doing my part opinion helping the environment. They also have essential oils though not sure of its source. Good prices. I was there on a weekend, and the tin store was packed.

Too much goodness packed into its tiny space
The only place I have been able to find a reasonably priced boar bristle brush. I no longer have to get ripped off by the hipster barbershops

Great concept, organized shop, friendly staff and reasonable prices. They have an amazing range of bulk products, as well as high quality products for home and personal care. They even have a small play area for children. It looks like they have also started carrying cooking oils, which is fantastic! The staff are also very knowledgable if you have questions or need advice about the DIY project you may be trying to undertake. I love you, Soap Dispensary.

Ok I figured it out. What they are using is Thayers Rose Witch Hazel. I contacted Thayers and they confirmed that it isn’t natural rose.

The soaps here are in bulk, but definitely not cheaper. It’s cool that you can refill a container and thus produce less waste, but I bought some Dr. Bronner’s soap and later saw a jug in a store that was way cheaper. Seems like buying in bulk should have some sort of economical advantage. Cool store, though.

I was so excited to check out the soap dispensary and make my own shower gel or bubble bath. The store is small but packed with options. I do wish they have an associate on the floor to explain the options but after browsing for a few minutes I realized they carried fractionated coconut oil — something I live for and have only found on Amazon — so I grabbed a bottle and had them fill it. I use EO’s at home and love making my own mixtures with coconut oil. A 500ml bottle only cost $ 12.50, before the exchange rate, which I think is cheaper than Amazon. I wish there was a Soap Dispensary in Portland, OR!

3 things about the soap dispensary:
1. fantastic concept and wide range of attractive, environmental products.
2. really friendly staff in an appealing, organized shop.
3. CRAZY SLOW SERVICE!!! for the love of (insert your deity)!!! what the hell is going on here? i’d say «don’t these people know how to run a business?!» except they obviously do, as the store is always full of people and there’s always a line up of people waiting to pay. unless… wait, it’s because of the CRAZY SLOW SERVICE!!! maybe they have adopted the vancouver nightclub school of thought. create fake line — generate buzz — pack the crowds in there. at the new store now, at least they have some semblance of efficiency going on where you can drop off your bottles and they give you a tag that they will call when your order’s ready. but seriously, the last time i went, the woman went into the back for almost 10 min and came out telling me that she had to reorganize something. wtf. no sense of urgency whatsoever. yet they are so NICE. if someone seriously opened another store exactly the same with faster service, they would be killing it. hmm…

Cute place but refills are not cheaper than buying from a store. I guess saving money is not the main point here and reducing the use of plastic is. However, we drove across town to buy refills, so I’m not sure we’re helping the environment either way.

Absolutely love this store! The concept is fantastic. Love that we’re helping reduce our footprint by shopping here and they have great products. Bought their dryer balls and love them! Also love their Schmidt’s deoderant (it’s the best!) and their wooden and bamboo toothbrushes. Will be back!

What can I say about the Soap Dispensary that hasn’t already been said? Aww, screw it, I’m going to say it anyway: I love this place. I love the concept of the shop. I love the products and I love the décor, especially now that they moved to a brand new, larger location. The old location was impressive because they curated a large amount of products in a very cramped space, but now I can actually gape at the products without bumping into others.
The first time I went to the store, that’s precisely what I did: I stared at the endless display of soaps, cleaning products, reusable objects and etc etc etc that they had. I was astounded by the fact that I could get so excited about reusable glass bottles and glass straws, but mostly I was astounded by the products — they are reminders of how much humans use, throw away, without giving it a second thought. How many of my straws are littering the earth? Probably a lot.
The store sells refill bottles for you to fill, empty, refill and repeat, in convenient sizes. Not only that, but the products that they do refill are natural, non-​toxic and biodegradable. Because of the Soap Dispensary, I am able to buy my beloved Sapodilla Lavender Lime soap without it costing an arm and a leg.
The idea is to reduce the amount that we throw away in our landfills, and that the products that we use and introduce into the ecosystem won’t hurt it. That’s an idea I can definitely get behind.

Great local business, recently moved to a slightly bigger space, still on main. Environmentally friendly (bring your clean containers back to exchange for refills at a discount)
Knowledgable, friendly staff that prioritize getting you what you’re looking for over making a sale. Very cool green products is never seen before.
Love their wash-​your-​bra-​safely bag. I had concerns their local healthy sunscreen would cause me to break out so they gave me a free sample without me asking. Came back two days later to purchase — Two thumbs up!

I love this store! I try not to bring home plastic containers as much as possible and this store let me do that. I no longer buy laundry detergent in a plastic container. I get refilled every time. It’s a great concept. I also love that they have something new and interesting every time I go there.

A friend of mine alerted me to the presence of The Soap Dispensary. In need of more counter top cleaner, I thought I’d give them a try and also inquire after a few other things, and see what they have.
During the course of my visit there were 2 – 3 staff, and only my husband and I in the shop. They seemed nice enough but too distracted to assist at first. I asked for assistance, and first inquired after what they suggested for a counter cleaner.
«Vinegar and orange peel,» was the response from the female staff attendant.
Oooohhhh kayyyy. I explained that’s what I’ve used; the vinegar smell is too strong for my nose, and that I don’t like it for cleaning the counters. She insisted on adding orange peel. I don’t eat oranges. PLUS, I’m there to spend MONEY in THEIR SHOP because I don’t want to take the time and effort to make my own counter cleaner solution (my upper limbs are screwed and I need to limit their use). I was puzzled and put off a little to say the least.
After a few minutes, practically begging to give her my money, she helped me choose a counter cleaner. However, I had the sense that she wanted to be doing anything but helping me out.
Yes, I should have brought my own bottles, but I hadn’t cleaned them out yet and thought the shop could supply one for me. I asked for a plastic bottle and there was a dramatic pause. I explained I have problems with my upper limbs and can’t lift more than a couple pounds of weight due to injury. Afterwards, she was very cool about finding a nice low footprint plastic bottle and even asked me what colour I wanted for the spray pump. Believe me, I loved their selection of glass bottles, but no way could I use them for my purpose.
I’m difficult, I know.
The remainder of the visit went reasonably well. However, I walked away feeling a little bemused by the experience. If you’re selling a type of product that a customer asks for, SELL IT TO THEM. Do they make so much money that they can afford to turn customers away? They could just hang a sign in their window that says: «use vinegar for everything — come again». ;-)
On a positive note, they sell lots of great things like produce bags, metal straws, vegetable scrubbers etc. Product selection is great. Customer service is… strange.
I will be back… with my own containers and no questions… but like someone else said in these reviews — I wish there was another option in Vancouver.
Maybe I expect too much, but customer service is important to me.

Being able to refill soaps, shampoos and moisturizers is great. Plus their selection of natural products is exceptional. I would give them 5 stars for their product line and friendliness.
However, their hippie like delivery of service (time wise) and inability to scent products (they used to scent products) is subpar. They take way to long to refill products due to needing a proper weighing system. This creates unnecessary wait times and line ups. Also, too bad they decided to remove their service of scenting products with essential oils. I used to love mixing scents for my hand soap and shampoo. Am willing to pay more for this service. They say they don’t scent anymore because of allergies. The solution would be an extraction fan or proper venting.
I would go elsewhere but there isn’t anywhere else offering such products. Hopefully some competition opens up or their service improves.

This place makes me feel guilty.
It’s impeccable.
Which would be expected, as it primarily deals in keeping things squeaky clean but the minimalistic décor and general tidiness of this place always puts me into a tailspin when I get home. Want motivation to un-​clutter? Visit, swoon and repeat.
Compared to many Vancouverites, I suck at saving the environment. I half heartedly compost, I don’t own a bike and I don’t grow my own beets in the backyard. I do however, attempt use green cleaning products around the house — enter, The Soap Dispensary.
Not only do they carry every environmentally friendly cleaning whatnot under the sun, but they will refill your own bottles with said product. It’s an environmental 1 – 2 punch.
And sure, it’s going to be more expensive then buying the $ 0.99 no name dish detergent at the supermarket, but think of it this way:
You dear sir/ma’am, are saving puppies.
Ok… so not directly, but every time I balk at some green product cleaning price, I remind myself of sweet sweet puppies. By spending $ 5 extra dollars on cleaning products, i’m helping the earth and theoretically, the small percentage of the earth that I just helped, COULD be home to a puppy. Therefore, I, Jody B, save puppies on a monthly basis. I’m basically a superhero.
So go and visit this place and do your part, and when that nagging voice pops up about the price, remember baby pug faces and suck it up buttercup. It’s $ 5.

Dude/​dudette, this place rocks. This is like a sustainable/​cleaning toy store for adults!
First of all, the space is quaint, white, clean (duh!), and friendly. It’s packed with cleaning supplies but doesn’t seem crowded. Minimalistic indeed.
Basically you get to go refill your empty bottles with all types of cleaning solutions, including: soap, shampoo, detergents, lotions, etc.
Fun fact: The man behind the cash register said that their Dispensary is the only place in Canada that has bulk Dr. Bronners soap for refilling!
We need more places like this in Vancouver. Preferably one on Commercial Drive, where I live!