Amber Haukedahl’s journey to zero-waste shopping started with a toothbrush.

Four years ago, the conservation biologist from Minneapolis decided to cut down on her plastic consumption, investing in household alternatives like mesh produce bags, unpaper towels and bamboo cutlery. But when Haukedahl turned to buying a bamboo toothbrush, the only options she could find were on Amazon — an e-tailer whose packaging habits she says would have “totally defeated the purpose.”

So Haukedahl, then 33, decided to become the retailer she was looking for. In 2018, she launched Tare Market, an e-commerce outfit selling products like reusable cutlery, washable face rounds, and compostable dental floss in plastic-free packaging — and shipping them in upcycled boxes and compostable packing. A year later, Tare opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Minneapolis’ leafy lakeside Nokomis neighborhood, following a successful online crowdfunding campaign.