Columbia Gorge Janitorial Supply Co. Reduce, Reuse, Revive: Hood River’s New Hub for Sustainable Living

 HOOD RIVER — Rooted in a passion for sustainability, Valerie Christman has created a space where small, everyday choices can make a lasting impact. In September 2024, she opened Columbia Gorge Janitorial Supply Co., bringing her vision of returning to the basics to life. By combining her love of connecting with people and sharing resources, she designed a space so both households and professional cleaners can access natural, sustainable products, making it easier than ever for the community to live thoughtfully and responsibly.

      Christman fell in love with the Gorge when she relocated here from Portland in the late nineties. “I started thumbing through the Yellow Pages to see what I could bring to my new community. I am an entrepreneur by heart,” she says. She found that there were few cleaning or janitorial services in the area. She started her business and quickly found she was her own competitor. For the past 26 years, she has supplied consumables and janitorial services throughout the Gorge, with contracts that reach communities up and down the river.

      Even with her success at MCJ Facility Solutions (formerly Mid-Columbia Janitorial), Christman has always wanted a brick-and-mortar for retail sales. With the growth of the Gorge, she has finally been able to expand to this new store. Columbia Gorge Janitorial Supply Co. focuses on her refillery, home provisions, and mercantile revival.

      In the early 2000s, she was a pioneer in green cleaning. “People would ask me all the time what green cleaning was. I was constantly sharing back then, how it was a better way to live,” she says. She wanted to find ways to produce less waste and provide more reusable products. Her goal was to show the community that cleaning could be affordable, durable, and healthier for you and the environment. “For me, it is more about the feeling from using clean, plant-based products. It is finding joy and inspiration in cleaning. When you can make something as task-oriented as cleaning feel meaningful, it brings more happiness into life.”

      In Christman’s store, you will find she is passionate about sourcing high-quality yet affordable products. She wants her consumers to enjoy natural textiles and everyday essentials that last for years. “I love sharing brands that I have on the shelves. Like these brushes made from recycled fishing nets. Sometimes you can’t get away from plastic, but together we can reduce our waste.”

      Her philosophy is passion over profit, focusing on meaningful work, sustainable products, and supporting her community. She hand-picks the merchants in her store, choosing only natural, chemical-free products scented with essential oils when possible. She prioritizes local makers, aiming to feature as many community-based brands as she can. When sourcing from outside the Gorge, she selects only small-batch, sustainably made items, never mass-produced factory brands.

      Rooted in the refill culture, Christman has created a refillery in-store. The refillery offers bulk fills with a variety of natural products, allowing customers to bring their own containers or purchase reusable bottles on-site. The space encourages protecting the local environment while being mindful of personal health. Visitors can mix their own products using her pure ingredients, including concentrated cleaners sourced from Bend, Oregon. The refillery helps move away from single-use plastics, making sustainable living both practical and enjoyable.

      With a focus on community, sustainability, and thoughtful living, Christman’s store is a space to learn, experiment, and make small choices that have a big impact.

      Visit Columbia Gorge Janitorial Supply Co. at 2920 Cascade Ave., Suite 100, Hood River.