Meet Brooke & Madison Loza | Co-Owners & Students

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brooke & Madison Loza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke & Madison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In the United States alone, the average person produces almost six pounds of trash daily, most of which ends up in burdened, overrun landfills. When we first learned this, our hearts shattered at the devastating environmental impact that our consumption creates. We believe that everyone intrinsically deserves equal access to sustainable and affordable zero waste products. We wanted our belief to be backed by actionable change, inspiring us to create an environmentally-driven business, thus the One Stop Eco Shop was created. As rising sophomores in college, we want to continue to empower individuals in fostering sustainable change. We are proud to be the One Stop Eco Shop: a zero waste store on a mission to reduce waste. Now, the overwhelming thought of rising landfills can be addressed by providing sustainable choices and control over consumption. We emphasize accessibility and strive each day to make our sustainable products available for our community, so that we can all contribute to a low-waste future!

What should our readers know about your business?
As a zero waste store focusing on sustainability, our vision was to tackle the stigma of zero waste lifestyles as unaffordable. As college students, we have to constantly consider price in the choices we make, and empathize with this concern about zero waste products. We deeply value educating our community about the benefits and affordability to zero waste, and are proud to be the first zero waste and refill store in Ocean County, New Jersey. We love having the opportunity to travel to nearby towns to encourage others towards low-waste living. While we are excited for the future, it has been a long journey of growth to get to this point. Learning and educating ourselves was a big part of our learning curve. Before going live with our business we researched for a few months what we needed to have in order to be an official business, such as licenses, products, website design, social media, and many other factors. We’ve learned through it all that you need to be patient and always be open to gaining new experiences and stepping out of your comfort zone. For any prospective business owners, you are definitely going to make mistakes along the way, and that is completely okay! We want people around the world to do something that they truly love and believe in. Don’t let anything get in the way between you and what you are passionate for. And of course, Go Green or Go Home!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Brick and the surrounding area is filled with lots of fun and exciting activities for all ages! In Brick, Windward Beach Park is home to the Brick Farmers Market and SummerFest during the summer. And in the off months, there are plenty of delicious restaurants, brunch, and ice cream shops for all your heart’s content. Just to name a few: Denino’s, Beacon 70, River Rock, Taylor Sam’s, Meemom’s, and Sundaes!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to thank our family and friends who have supported us through this all – from full time students to small business owners, we could not have done it without their love and support.

Website: www.onestopecoshop.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestopecoshop.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onestopecoshop.co/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@onestopecoshop

Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdCB3Brv/%20https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdCB3Brv/ Store address: 1174 Fischer Blvd. Toms River, NJ 08753