Earth Zero Waste to leave Jefferson Street shop, move into Rockford Art Deli
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A downtown business centered on sustainable shopping is moving from its Jefferson Street home to East State Street, where it will set up shop inside Rockford Art Deli.
Earth Zero Waste, which opened at 327 W. Jefferson St. in November 2022, expects the move to provide more foot traffic from customers shopping at the Rockford retailer. It also gives Earth owner Ade Villatoro, who was running the shop largely by herself, the support of RAD’s staff and its seven days a week schedule.
“My biggest thing in the downtown is building community with small businesses, but it’s more powerful when they work together,” said Jarrod Hennis, the owner of Rockford Art Deli. “As they world is changing and everything is skyrocketing — cost of goods, and rent, everything — it makes more sense to go back to this model.”
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Villatoro will host a moving sale on Saturday, June 22 to clear some of its Jefferson Street inventory at discounted prices before opening at RAD, 402 E. State St., in early July.
The store focuses on environmentally friendly products for household cleaning, beauty and food that can be refilled without the one-time use of plastic. That includes soaps and shampoos, recycled and forest friendly paper towels and toilet paper, deodorant and other items.
RAD has sustainability as part of its brand, too. The Allmade company that Hennis co-founded manufactures its shirts using 50% recycled polyester — reusing six plastic bottles in each shirt — and other sustainably sourced materials.
“We’re similarly eco-minded, so it just made sense,” Villatoro said. “I’m excited to see the mesh of my customers and his customers combined really start to expand their knowledge of what Rockford already has.”
“It’s reboosted me to be more excited about what the future of Earth is going to be.”
Earth’s move inside RAD is much like how it started out, as a stand inside Midwest Rustic on East State Street downtown. When Midwest Rustic closed in summer 2022, Villatoro looked for her own brick-and-mortar space and landed on Jefferson Street. Midwest Rustic is now The Music Box of Rockford.
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RAD’s staff will be trained to answer any questions customers have on Earth’s products, and Villatoro plans to be a regular presence in the shop.
“I’ve created relationships with customers at my store and I’m going to bring that into this store, too,” she said. “I want people to feel like they’re home; when they’re coming here they’re coming to see friends who they need to update on their life.”
Hennis, meanwhile, said Earth’s residence inside his downtown shop could be the first of several partnerships with other local retailers and sellers.
“It’s a good starter point for the future growth that we’re planning,” he said. “This is our good test pilot of getting integrated: Let’s bring people who are like-minded and have the same work ethic together, and then you can all grow faster.”
On the move | Earth Zero Waste
Moving from: 327 W. Jefferson St., Rockford
Moving to: Rockford Art Deli, 402 E. State St., Rockford
Rockford Art Deli hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday
On the web: earthzerowaste.com
On social: Earth Zero Waste on Facebook and Instagram
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
