Shifting To A Low Waste Lifestyle: Lake Charles Native Becomes Tory Burch Fellow

by Kerri Cooke

Eleisha Eagle is an entrepreneur out of Narberth, Pennsylvania, who just became a 2025 Tory Burch Fellow with the Tory Burch Foundation for her small business SHIFT, a refillery, which is dedicated to the concept of low-waste living by providing personal care such as soap, shampoo and detergent for sale in bulk in refillable containers.

A native of Lake Charles, Eagles’ dad, Larry Eagle, was the fourth-generation owner of T Miller & Sons Hardware & Art Supply on Enterprise Boulevard and her mom was an interior designer. Upon graduating from St. Louis Catholic High School, Eagle attended Washington University in St. Louis for a year before moving to Nashville to pursue music full time. She released four albums, toured the country and organized a benefit concert annually at the Rosa Hart Theatre in Lake Charles which raised over $100,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network and other local nonprofits.

Eagle says that while touring America, she noticed many of the small towns she passed through were struggling due to the loss of a small business landscape. With SHIFT located in downtown Narberth, Eagle says, “What we’re creating is a modern alternative to convenience culture—one that centers community and connection, where you know your neighbors and your purchases reflect your values.”

SHIFT was born out of a desire to reduce waste and increase sustainability. Eagle said she began taking note of how much plastic we use and started buying products in bulk and purchasing clothing made with natural fibers. “Plastic made everyday life easier, but we’ve become too dependent on it. Once I started learning about the health and environmental impacts, I wanted to find better options,” Eagle says. Contributing to a system built on waste also didn’t seem healthy. “I started down this path before headlines were talking about microplastics in our bloodstreams or forever chemicals in our homes. It wasn’t trendy—it just felt necessary.”

One day, while on her low-waste living journey, she attended a lecture by her now-business partner, Kimberly Bezak, who had been living the same way. The two women clicked and opened SHIFT in a 10 foot by 10 foot space in the local grocery store where patrons could bring in their old bottles and purchase products by the ounce. The products utilize clean ingredients, are concentrated and are sourced as close to Narberth as possible to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Eagle says many people are surprised to discover that SHIFT’s products are comparatively priced to those on regular box store shelves.

After only six months, SHIFT was successful enough to have its own shop, which has been open for three years. Not only does the space house the refillery, but it has a community space where other local female-run microbusinesses reside. Other small businesses include those selling secondhand clothing and thrifted home goods. SHIFT also hosts many events, including clothing swaps, a monthly knife sharpening event and a regular candle refill day.

SHIFT has already successfully “diverted over 60,000 single use containers,” Eagle says. She is a staunch believer in the idea that “most of what we need already exists.”
When it was announced that Eagle was named one out of 50 2025 Tory Burch Fellows, she says, “To get an extra boost of support like that . . . It’s a validation of your vision. The Tory Burch Foundation, created by fashion designer and entrepreneur Tory Burch in 2009, supports women building businesses that last by providing access to community, expert resources and strategic support. As the co-founder of SHIFT, I’m excited to bring the spirit of low-waste living to a national stage and join a network working toward a bold goal: generating more than $1 billion in economic impact by 2030.”

As Eagle navigates SHIFT into the future, she emphasizes “growing up in Lake Charles taught me to be resourceful and resilient. People there know how to help their neighbors and stretch a dollar and fix a problem. That mindset shaped me.”