The inspiration
On a trip to Brighton, England, the Haisleys visited a home and kitchenware store called Utility. Ian Haisley said they liked how the store’s items were “made in a way they used to be,” meaning the items were functional but beautiful in their simplicity.
They took from those values and planned to build something similar in Austin.
“We consume so many things that are just made so quickly and not meant to last,” Ian Haisley said. “We also buy so many things that we don’t know the story behind and we thought it was so beautiful…the simplicity of knowing where things were coming from, how they were being made.”
“[The refill bar] was an outlet that we thought would be really impactful because it saves on plastic, but it also brings the customer back into the store in a regular cadence,” Jess Haisley said. “So we looked at a variety of different products.”
Respecting the craft
Many of the everyday household products sold at the store are first tested in the Haisleys’ home.
Among the first products they tested were Swedish dishcloths to replace paper towels. Jess Haisley said it took time to make the behavior change, but they haven’t used paper towels at home since before the store opened.
Parker + Scott is a reflection of their journey to being environmentally conscious and they’re always willing to help curious customers wanting to make that lifestyle change.
“It can be expensive,” Ian Haisley said. “It’s not for everybody. We get that. We try to make it accessible in a way that’s like, it’s okay if you still use paper towels. We sell paper towel that comes in plastic-free wrapping. That’s an easier change to make.”
Looking ahead
Eventually, the Haisleys would like to expand Parker + Scott into a larger space or open a new location. When it opened two years ago, the store had only a few tables of products. Now, every corner has a shelf or display full of local goods and they are always meeting new vendors to work with.
Parker + Scott hosts community events like neighborhood cleanups, plant sales, children’s reading circles and vendor pop-ups. Jess Haisley said a larger space would also allow them to host classes and workshops, driving home the store’s community aspect.
“One of our original concepts of the way that we wanted people to feel when they walked in the store was a warm hug, and we’ve heard that quite a bit,” Jess Haisley said. “There’s something really special in the small business community, the maker community as well.”