BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tracey Wei has turned her passion into a business. 

She recently opened her store in the Elmwood Village, called Little Salmon.

No, they don’t sell fish. Rather, environmentally-friendly products.

“This kind of product in Buffalo, I felt like Buffalo’s ready and we can fill the white space here by opening one-of-a-kind like that,” said Wei.

She and her partner, who’s from Buffalo, decided to move their family to the area and start the business after Tracey was furloughed from her job in New York City.

“I remember being optimistic about it in the beginning, and as time wore on that’s when it felt depressing and the future’s kind of grim,” she said.

But that future is brighter now. Little Salmon sells many products that are reusable or have zero waste. That includes household and personal cleaning supplies where you can refill your own bottles with things like shampoo and soap. 

“This is our refill station, and every time you bring your own container to come get your refill, you’re keeping plastic bottles out of landfill,” said Wei.

Many of the things they sell come from local farms and suppliers to cut down on the carbon footprint it takes to transfer goods.

“It’s to create a livable world for the future generation,” said Wei. “If we want to keep surviving as a species, we need to do this.”

And so far, she says many in the community have embraced their ideas. 

“Doing a little better every day when it’s added up together makes a big impact,” said Wei.