BY AVERY GOODSTINE for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 7/3/2026
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
This quote is the heart of Norma Irish’s business, Eco Repurpose Boutique, a carefully curated shop that sells upcycled, fair-trade, and ethically sourced goods.
Located at 1932 Pacific Ave. along the University of Washington Tacoma campus, Irish recently opened the boutique’s second location in a space all to herself. The original location, which has been open since 2017, is in the Ruston Waterfront Market.
The boutique also recently became a member of 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses that commits to donating at least 1 percent of annual sales to environmental organizations. Irish said she’s excited to keep the money in Washington and donate to local efforts.
As Irish and her family got older, she became more aware of the dangers that plastic and other chemicals cause to the human body and the environment. She made changes in her personal life and became more passionate about the topic, and felt inspired to try to make a larger change.
“I’m not trying to force anything on anybody, because as I get older, I learn also, or I pay attention, or I intentionally go look it up now,” Irish said. “I just don’t take a company’s word for it anymore. I kind of want to be intentional, and yes, I do go out and kind of curate items that I think will do well or do a little better job.”
Another source of inspiration comes from Irish’s love of upcycled materials, specifically recycled military tent bags she saw at a trade show. The bags were made by Vintage Addiction, a small, vintage-inspired company based in southern California. Irish has carried the Vintage Addiction bags in her boutique since 2018.
She also hopes to start carrying Clea Ray bags in a few weeks. These are also bags made from military tents, but the tents are completely broken down into their original fibers, and the canvas used to make the bags is rewoven from those fibers.
Irish felt drawn to the bags initially because she previously served in the military. At just 17 years old, she left home, went to Germany, and served as a 63B light-wheel vehicle mechanic for the Army, a job that no longer exists.
After her time with the Army, Irish went back to her childhood dream of owning a business. She reflected on memories she has of sitting on the steps in front of her home coming up with business ideas.
“My mom used to say I’d remind her of one of her sisters that had passed away who was into commerce, also who wanted to sell stuff, so she always thought I was, like, the reincarnated sister because … it was always me wanting to have my own little store,” she said.
Before she opened the boutique, Irish and her husband sold dog items and teddy bears that sang “Happy Birthday” on Amazon. After she grew tired of that, she focused more on trade shows before opening the boutique.
In its early years, the boutique was a place of respite for Irish, as she and her husband had four biological children and were in the process of adopting her husband’s three nephews.
In fact, having so many children at home led Irish to find detergent sheets, which are a no-mess, no-plastic alternative to liquid detergent, pods, or laundry powder.
Irish does carry detergent sheets in the store, as well as a collection of other eco-friendly and low-tox household products, such as toothpaste tablets, reusable paper towels, and eco laundry dryer balls.
She also has a variety of Aurora brand toys that are environmentally friendly. An entire wall of the boutique is lined with Palm Pals, a line of miniature plush toys made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles.
The boutique also stocks Aurora Wheatley children’s toys, which are made of wheat straw plastic as opposed to traditional petroleum-based plastic.
As far as she knows, Irish said the Pacific Avenue boutique location has the largest collection of Palm Pals in the Puget Sound region.
The Vendula London bags are some of the most whimsical and unique items Irish has curated in the shop. The vegan leather bags are one of a kind and are released in seasonal collections. They are extremely detailed and are designed to look like book stacks, storefronts, hot air balloons, pool tables, and so much more.
Another unique collection she sells is Erstwilder brooches. The Australian-based company drops a few collections a month inspired by one theme. The most recent collection is inspired by a book called The Magic Faraway Tree.
Irish’s boutique is one of two storefronts in the state that sells the Vendula London bags, and the only official storefront selling the brooches.
There is also jewelry and pottery made by local artists, as well as Metal Earth models and Lego-esque wooden building sets.
While Irish’s goal is to curate an ethically sourced local shop, she’s transparent about some of her products falling outside of that scope, mostly when it comes to mystery collectible items and other trendy children’s toys.
“We’re trying our best, but not everything is there because not everything is still available, or manufacturers are not going to change,” she said. “So we try to bring some of the items that people do want that might not be in our wheelhouse, but we try to do better on other items that we can compensate for and try to do better there.”
Irish also makes a point to do her own research on the companies she works with to ensure they have good business practices that align with her own values.
Whether you’re just browsing or looking for some good conversation, Irish encourages anyone to stop in.
“I want you to come and enjoy the space and come and look at our stuff. If you’re not purchasing right now, that’s fine,” she said. “We love to talk to people. I like to say looks are free, and conversation’s always beautiful.”
