The cape cod collective


A Better Way to Shop: Inside The Glass Jar


Meet Meghann Lazott, the Dennis local behind The Glass Jar, a refillable market built around less waste, affordable food, and the little moments that bring a community together.

 

Smiling woman in a white blouse and black apron stands in a zero-waste refill shop in front of wooden shelves lined with glass jars.

There’s something special about walking into a local shop and leaving with more than what you came for. Maybe it’s a new ingredient you’ve never tried, a recipe shared by a stranger, or a conversation that turns into an exchange of phone numbers. At The Glass Jar, those moments are part of what makes the place feel like more than just a shop.


Located along Route 6A in East Dennis, The Glass Jar is a refillable market founded by Meghann Lazott, who has called Cape Cod home since 1992. Having grown up here, Meghann has a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the Cape and a desire to help keep it that way. Her approach is practical, thoughtful, and rooted in something most of us can relate to: wanting everyday life to be a little easier, a little more affordable, and a little less wasteful.

Wooden pantry shelves stocked with labeled glass jars of bulk herbs and spices above white storage bins and scoops.
Golden honey pours from a white bulk dispenser spigot into a mason jar labeled The Glass Jar refillable market, held by a hand.

The idea for The Glass Jar came about during a grocery shopping trip with friends who had children. Watching the amount of snacks they needed to buy, the packaging waste that came with them, and the cost of it all, Meghann found herself thinking, *there has to be a better way to do this.*


Then, in what she describes as quintessential form, she had a dream about the business.


What followed was two years of research, planning, and working with the town to bring the idea to life. Meghann came from a background in veterinary practice management, so the world of bulk food was something entirely new to her. There was a lot to learn, and opening a business meant figuring out plenty of things along the way.

Wooden shelves of glass jars with chalkboard labels hold dried beans, grains and legumes above bulk bins with scoops in a zero-waste store.

 

“The beginning was scary.”


Meghann Lazott · The Glass Jar

 

The Glass Jar was entirely self-funded, and Meghann learned much of what she needed to know through research, persistence, and the experience she had gained in her previous careers. Starting a small business came with its share of uncertainty, and the time and expense involved could feel overwhelming. But after the first six months, she knew they were going to be fine.

Smiling shop owner in a white sleeveless blouse and black apron leans on a counter in a bright refill store with shelves of glass jars.
Hands hold a labeled glass jar under a stainless steel dispenser filling it with powder at a refill shop.
Glass mason jars with blank kraft paper labels line wooden shelves in a zero-waste bulk food store, ready for refillable pantry staples.

Today, The Glass Jar has become a place where people return week after week, not just because of what they can buy, but because of what the shop represents.


The concept is simple: customers can bring their own containers and refill them with the products they need, helping reduce single-use plastic while making everyday essentials more accessible. The shop offers a range of food and household products, from spices and pantry staples to soaps and cleaners. It's a different way to shop, and one that invites people to rethink some of their everyday habits without having to change everything at once.


The mission behind the business is “to provide affordable food while reducing single use plastic.”


For Meghann, that mission connects directly to what she loves about Cape Cod. She sees the Cape as a place to slow down and enjoy the nature around us, even if the summer crowds and traffic can sometimes make that feel a little harder. At the end of the day, she believes keeping the Cape beautiful is something the community has a responsibility to do together.

 

“We only have one little spit of sand here, and we are the only ones who are going to keep it beautiful.”



Meghann Lazott · The Glass Jar

 

Whiteboard sign at The Glass Jar zero-waste store explaining how to shop: sanitize hands, get container approval, weigh and fill.
Woman with silver bracelets refills a clear plastic bottle from a bulk hand soap pump dispenser at a zero-waste refill store.

But ask Meghann what she loves most about running The Glass Jar, and her answer isn't about the products or the business model. It's about the people.


Her favorite moments happen when customers start talking to one another. Usually strangers, they begin sharing ideas about how to use a particular ingredient, swapping recipes, and sometimes even exchanging phone numbers. Meghann gets to watch these connections happen in real time, right there in the shop.

 

“It's absolutely beautiful to watch this community at its core.”



Meghann Lazott · The Glass Jar

 

That sense of community is woven into the everyday rhythm of The Glass Jar. Meghann describes the small-town feeling of knowing the people who come through the door, or getting to know them over time. Customers stop in to chat, share stories, trade recipes, and exchange ideas. It's a reminder that a small business can become a gathering place in its own right, even when that's not what you set out to create.


A lot of the inspiration behind the shop comes from the moms who shop there, especially those with little ones. Meghann is always thinking about new products and options that might make their lives a little easier or more fun. She knows life can be a lot, and she brings that understanding into the way she treats her customers.


“Hey, no worries, we are all just trying to get through the day,” is something she often tells them.

Woman with a floral arm tattoo scoops Old Fashioned oats from a red canister at a wooden counter in a bright zero-waste refill shop.
Wooden shelves in a zero-waste store display eco-friendly soaps, bamboo brushes, tins, jars, woven baskets and plastic-free bath products.
Smiling woman in a black apron and jeans leans on a wooden counter in a bulk refill shop with shelves of glass jars.

That down-to-earth approach feels fitting for a business built around small, everyday changes. You don't have to have everything figured out to make a difference. Sometimes it starts with bringing a jar to the market, trying a new ingredient, or finding a product that works a little better for your household.


And while The Glass Jar has already found its place in the community, Meghann is thinking about what's next. Less than three years into the business, she's exploring the possibility of opening a second location. With customers already traveling from off-Cape and the Upper Cape, she's looking at spaces in Sandwich and Falmouth to find the right fit.


She's also working toward a program to help people interested in opening their own refill shops. It's a natural extension of what she's built so far: sharing what she's learned and helping others explore a different way of doing things.


For someone who started with an idea sparked by a grocery trip with friends, there's a lot to be proud of. But what stands out most about Meghann's story isn't just the growth of The Glass Jar. It's the way the business has become part of the community around it.

Tattooed shop worker in a black apron fills a glass jar with liquid from a bulk dispenser in a zero-waste refill store.

When she's not at the shop, one of her favorite ways to enjoy the Cape is kayaking along Herring River. Once she gets out into the marsh, the houses disappear, leaving her with wildlife, quiet water, and a little space to take it all in.


It's a simple kind of escape, and maybe a reminder of what she hopes to preserve through her work.


The Glass Jar is helping people make small changes in the way they shop, one refill at a time. But along the way, it's also creating space for something harder to measure: connection, shared knowledge, and a sense of community that grows a little stronger every time two strangers strike up a conversation.


And sometimes, a better way of doing things starts exactly there.

Wide sandy beach under an overcast sky with a row of coastal houses along the shoreline and calm ocean water stretching toward the horizon.
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