Tilth & Oak refill bar opens in Virginia Beach Town Center, promoting sustainability and shopping local

A new store in Virginia Beach’s Town Center is promoting small businesses and sustainability through locally created products.

Tilth & Oak is a refill bar and artisan market run by sisters and co-owners, Devin and Isabel Lavender. The California-raised sisters started it as an online business with a friend and opened their first store in 2022 in Benicia, California, outside of San Francisco.

They opened the Virginia Beach location in May. Customers can bring in containers and jars to fill up with more than 50 products from soaps, olive oils and shampoos made by local and state businesses. Tilth & Oak also has containers for purchase and customizable stickers to label.

Devin said they aim to decrease the amount of waste caused by one-use plastic containers.

“A bottle can be used numerous times and we can keep that out of landfill and still get the great same quality products.”

The store is also stocked with pet products, including dog treats, collars and toys, as well as baby items and stationary.

The sisters said they want to expand their business, joining a local and national trend, which includes the “Less Than” chain with multiple Hampton Roads and Richmond-area locations and “Fill Happy” in Williamsburg.

“We were so excited for that,” Devin said, “to be able to add to that growth on the East Coast.”

Gabby Jimenez, gabrielle.jimenez@virginiamedia.com