Julia Monjaras opened The Lab to provide sustainable products and support local artists
A woman who has been living in Belfast for the past nine years has opened a new shop focusing on sustainability and supporting local makers, to give back to the city.
Dr Julia Monjaras moved to Belfast in 2017 to work at Queen’s University Belfast in the field of experimental medicine, after doing her PhD in microbiology.
Blending her love of sustainability, plants, and wanting to support local artists – Julia opened The Lab on the Lisburn Road just over two weeks ago. Noticing a gap in the market locally for a space proividing sustainable everyday items, she took matters into her own hands.
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The Lab offers everything from bamboo toothbrushes, reusable water bottles, and environmentally friendly household items including hand soap, washing-up liquid and laundry items. As well as this, Julia’s passion for plants as a biologist is evident with plenty available, as is a healthy collection of art from local creators.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Julia said: “The idea of The Lab is to help people make sustainable choices on an everyday basis. As a biologist, I have always loved plants and just the feel they give you, and the advantages like they purify the spaces. They give you a peace of mind.
“I wanted to blend that with sustainability by having more eco-friendly options available, because I think there’s still just a few choices in Belfast for eco-friendly products. We wanted to sell a selection of sustainable products like reusable cups and water bottles, as well as household products so people can get an introduction to sustainable living.”
For anyone keen to become more sustainable in their every day life, Julia has some advice: “Start slow. You don’t need to change your life and try to be 100% sustainable, it’s all about making small changes. By making small changes, like swapping a plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one, a lot of people can make a big difference.”
The business has just opened, but the team are already looking to the future. They have submitted plans to Belfast City Council to permit change of use for the downstairs in their building to be converted into the city’s first eco-friendly laundrette.
As well as this, they have plans to create a space to support local businesses and artists in their upstairs unit. Julia said: “We are planning to make this into a hybrid business, we want to expand that sustainability thinking, and we want to start Belfast’s first eco-friendly, sustainable laundrette. We are hoping to set that up downstairs, and we are going to use microplastic filters, and eco-friendly products.
“We are also planning to have an incubation room for start-ups and more artists upstairs, where we will host workshops too. We want to make this something people in the neighbourhood can come in and enjoy.”
Originally from Mexico City, Julia has lived in many places, including Germany and Japan, but made Belfast her home in 2017. She said another aspect of the business she was interested in, was creating a space to give back to the city, by supporting local businesses, artists, and makers.
Julia added: “Giving back to Belfast is really important to me, because people here have been really friendly and welcoming. I’ve lived in and visited a lot of places, I have lived in Germany, Japan, and Mexico, and what makes Belfast really special is the people and the sense of community.
“So we really wanted to give back and that’s why we only stock products from the UK and Ireland. All of the artists whose work we stock are local artists from Northern Ireland, we want to support local brands and makers to give back to the community.”
Video by Belfast Live videographer Justin Kernoghan.
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