In 2025, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a way of doing business, especially for small shop owners finding creative ways to make a big impact. Sustainability is defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “creating and maintaining conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.”
If you are incorporating these ideas into your lifestyle, there are several Downtown businesses we’d recommend you check out! They were created with sustainability in mind, and they offer goods and services that stay true to it.
BYO LONG BEACH / 431 E 1ST ST.
Julie Darrell, owner and founder of BYO Long Beach
This East Village shop, opened by Julie Darrell in 2019, embodies the spirit of sustainability. BYO stands for “bring your own,” of course. You’ll be helping the world when you bring your hand soap, dish soap, and laundry detergent containers to the shop and have them refilled with BYO’s additive-free product. You won’t be adding plastic and excessive packaging to the waste stream.
“Seeing all the big environmental problems in the world, I felt the need to do something to make an impact,” said Darrell. “One person refilling their hand soap container isn’t going to change the world, but when you add up all the other people in the community refilling their household cleaning and personal care products, it adds up to a big difference! Since we started BYO Long Beach, we have refilled over 100,000 containers.”
Other popular items for BYO customers are the reusable lunch containers, toothpaste tablets, lip balm in a paper tube instead of plastic, shampoo and conditioner bars, and bulk teas.
BYO Long Beach is open Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM.
ETHIKLI SUSTAINABLE MARKET / 352 E 4TH ST.
Katy Impellizzeri, owner and founder of Ethikli
“We have one shot at creating a habitable planet and it’s slipping through our fingers. It’s on all of us to do the work that needs to get done,” said Ry Brennan, long-time consultant at Ethikli.
Everything in the shop, which opened in 2022, is completely vegan. “Animal agriculture is one of the most significant drivers of climate change,” Brennan explained. “Adopting a vegan diet is the most important thing you can do to reduce your carbon expenditure. If everybody transitioned to a vegan diet, we would save 75% of the land that currently goes to human-serving agriculture.”
Ethikli sells vegan snacks, nuts, beans, cereal, fruit, pasta and much more, including raw vegan chocolate bars made by a company that works with farmers in Peru to source cacao beans. “There’s no slave labor in their supply chain, which, unfortunately, is common in that industry,” said Brennan.
The market is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from noon to 6 PM. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday hours are 10 AM to 6 PM. Closed on Monday.
FRIDAY FARMERS MARKET / THE PROMENADE BETWEEN 3RD & 4TH ST.
The Downtown Long Beach Friday Farmers Market
Farmers markets are thriving in Long Beach, including this one, which has been a city institution since 1980! It’s the place to go for high quality, locally sourced produce with no middleman. It’s the freshest of the fresh.
On any given Friday you can join other conscious shoppers as they browse fresh greens from Santa Barbara, exotic fruits from Fallbrook, and truckfuls of other harvests from all over Southern California. “A farmers market is the great melting pot for a community, the place where folks from all socioeconomic backgrounds are at the tables shopping and chatting,” said Market Manager Kelli Johnson.
Besides an abundance of fresh produce, the market offers live music, workshops, plant giveaways, and composting drop-offs. NOTE FOR SENIORS: The market gives three coupons a week to seniors 60 and over, who can collect them and redeem them for groceries. In addition, the market honors CalFresh EBT cards, and offers a Market Match program. For example, if you withdraw $15 with your card, the market will match that with $15 in credit towards groceries.
You can enjoy the market’s delicious offerings and old-school community vibes every Friday from 10 AM to 2 PM.
LONG BEACH VINTAGE ETC / 737 PINE AVE.
LB Vintage Etc. Owner Michelle Elizabeth Kobliha in the 7,500 sq ft. Shop
Vintage clothing is prominent in this fantastic shop where 48 vendors ply their trade. “Today’s fast fashion ends up in a landfill because the quality isn’t as good,” said Merchandiser Michelle Wentzel. “Fashion is cyclical, and styles from previous decades resurface, so why not purchase an original?”
The shop stocks a colossal inventory that includes everything from 1800s antiques to Mid-Century Modern furniture to Millennial-era goodies, and everything in between. Plan to spend a few hours browsing the clothing, housewares, purses, fashion jewelry, home decor, kitchen items, and more treasures too numerous to mention!
Long Beach Vintage Etc is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM. Closed Monday.
LIBRARY OF TECHNICS / 205 LONG BEACH BLVD.
Clothing at the Library of Technics shop
Lovers of books, fashion, and design will feel right at home in the Library of Technics, just as owner Pam Kossek felt when she was a young child flipping through books and magazines in her grandparents’ library. “That quiet space became my universe,” she recalled.
For Kossek, sustainability is about “inner alignment. I only bring pieces into the shop that I have a deep appreciation for — objects with soul, with history. Books, fashion, furniture. I’m interested in what was made with care, what has survived time, and which design still speaks. That kind of preservation is sustainability to me.”
In addition to her beautifully-curated inventory, Kossek also hosts workshops and exhibitions that nurture the spirit of creativity. “At the Library of Technics, the most sought-after items are for the mind,” she said. “I offer pieces that invite contemplation, curiosity, and presence. Our clientele is a reflection of that.”
Library of Technics is open daily from 11 AM to 7 PM.
SOWING SEEDS OF CHANGE / 620 SAN FRANCISCO AVE.
Founders Lindsay Smith and Dina Feldman with the Sowing Seeds of Change crew
The green space that Lindsay Smith and partner Dina Feldman have created amidst the concrete and pavement is more than just an urban farm; It’s a multi-faceted agricultural education and vocational center!
Smith’s early curiosity about plants blossomed into a lifelong passion for sustainability and education. “My career as a special education teacher provided an opportunity to integrate these interests,” she explained. “Receiving the Sustainability Award from the Signal Hill Mayor’s office for the recycling, food rescue, and gardening programs I initiated at my school was the pivotal moment that led to the creation of Sowing Seeds of Change.”
Smith and Feldman’s primary objectives and vision are to employ transition-age people with disabilities and foster youth (ages 18-22) through a job-readiness program, host educational workshops for the neighboring community, and grow organic produce. “Sustainable agriculture is crucial for both our health and our future,” said Smith. “Our current societal prioritization of convenience over health has done tremendous harm to the environment. It’s time to rebuild and prioritize practices that nurture our soil and our bodies.”
The duo has ambitious plans to expand their program’s reach within the community. “We also have an exciting summer program and need your votes,” Smith noted. “Please visit our Instagram @ssc_urbanfarm and follow this link to vote for our program: https://pbstanford.org/yppb2025. Any youth between the ages of 12 and 26 is eligible to vote. We also greatly appreciate volunteer support!”