Newberg’s Refill Hub Invites Locals to Teach, Learn, and Connect

NEWBERG, Ore. — In a prominently placed but otherwise nondescript house on College Street across from Newberg Friends Church, a local resident is working to develop a learning center aimed at bringing people closer to their community, the land, and themselves.

The Refill Hub Learning Center and Teaching Gardens is a community-based learning space that hosts classes and workshops led by community members who want to share their knowledge, said The Refill Hub founder Erin Andrews.

“I have this sort of feeling that there’s just not [home economics] anymore, and that bums me out,” Andrews said. “I know that in this community, there are people who know how to do things, and we should try to broadcast that to help everyone out.”

Andrews originally envisioned The Refill Hub as a cooperative bulk and refill grocery store and mercantile. She romanticizes the idea of a central place where neighbors could run into each other while filling containers with grains, and rice, stocking up on locally grown fruits and vegetables, and sharing updates about their families and daily lives.

Once she started crunching the numbers, she realized it wouldn’t be possible to start there.

“I didn’t want to, but I realized I needed to scale back,” Andrews said. “So I started asking, ‘What does that mean? Which of these things can I take off?’ And I didn’t want to take off any of them. It was so disheartening to not be able to pull off the whole thing.”

So she took a step back and thought about where she could start. Moving forward with part of the idea, she said, was better than not moving at all. She reassessed and realized that at the core of the concept was one thing: community.

“I started wondering what I can do on a smaller scale that could accomplish that same thing,” she said. “And that’s where we are now.”

About a year ago, Andrews purchased the house at 304 S. College St. in Newberg to serve as the home base for The Refill Hub. Some of the home’s bedrooms and living areas host a variety of classes, from baking sourdough bread to paint-and-sip nights to garden planning, primarily in the living room and kitchen.

Since launching, she has seen varying attendance and interest, something she attributes to a learning curve while getting the business off the ground.

“I have to wonder, did I put the class on the wrong day? Maybe the people interested in this class would rather have a morning session,” she said. “Those are the kinds of growing pains we’re having. But we can only learn with more classes, and more classes are coming.”

She hopes other community members will see an opportunity to help educate others as well. The Refill Hub, she said, is not geared toward any particular class style or structure and aims to empower Newberg residents to lead their own classes.

The Refill Hub provides the physical space, internet access, a screen for projecting learning materials, and marketing support through its channels. Instructors take control of their own classes and pay a variable fee to rent the space.

“The space fee is really based on what class you want to teach and what you and I think we can charge for that class,” Andrews said. “I’m happy to collaborate and get your input—I want to work together.”

Andrews also operates as a massage therapist at the location and has incorporated related classes into The Refill Hub’s offerings. In addition to her massage clients, she provides continuing education courses for massage therapists and teaches a couples massage class.

She sees The Refill Hub as an opportunity to share her passions and bring others into what she cares about. Outside of massage therapy, her main focus is gardening and helping others learn to grow their own food. She believes there is interest, especially among younger teenagers who frequently walk by her gardens.

“I will never stop a kid from eating fruits and vegetables,” she said. “I’ve had parents text me, apologizing that their kid came home with some strawberries from my garden. I will never deny kids fresh fruits and vegetables; well, as long as they’re eating them and not throwing them.”

The Refill Hub’s current location is not permanent, Andrews said. She plans to move the operation in midsummer to another building near the Chehalem Park and Recreation District Aquatic Center. In the meantime, she will continue running classes at the College Street location, hoping to tap into more of Newberg’s collective knowledge.

“I want to bring people in who have other special interests and provide a welcoming space for them to teach,” Andrews said. “I have the tables and chairs, the lights, the coffee bar—whatever you need to teach whatever you want. I’m just excited for people to learn together.”

Community members interested in taking a class at The Refill Hub can see the upcoming class schedule at The Refill Hub Learning Center and Teaching Garden‘s website.