Joining a bunch of others popping up across
the country, the first green store has opened for business in Manhattan.
Green Depot aims to be a one-stop shopping destination for more ecologically
responsible paint, insulation, kitchen cabinets, baby cribs, cleaning supplies,
flooring and more.
The 3,500 squarefoot store on the Bowery comes from the same-named, Brooklyn-based national supplier of green building and living materials, and represents the company's first LIVE location aimed as much at consumers as well as contractors. The boutique-like store includes several higher end items (e.g., a $650 Aquaovo Ovopur water filter) but also contains many reasonably priced goods and tips on how consumers can save money on heating, cooling and other energy needs while contributing less impact on the environment.
Green Depot also operates a number of BUILD showrooms for contractors, and the idea to open a consumer oriented format came from the traffic heading to those showrooms.
"The one thing that struck us was that we'd have pregnant women standing next to Vinnie the contractor," at the Build showrooms, Sarah Beatty, Green Depot founder and president, told globest.com. "Both sides of this equation were not being served: the contractor needs to transfer their product to 'green,' and the consumer transition has been so rapid that there is still confusion as to what 'green' means."
Indeed, the store is meant to educate as much as sell. Signage breaks down each item's eco-impact into five categories - air quality, conservation, local, energy efficiency and responsibility - to help guide green choices.
The store also includes a resource/design center for staff to assist customers. Its ZeroVOC Paint Bar offers custom, digital color matching and exclusive color collections. A baby section is devoted to building the healthiest nursery from the ground up.
One of the unique features is the Cleaning
Station. Customers can refill and reuse plastic and glass containers with
Green Depot's private label cleaning line. Coming out of a row of taps,
choices include liquid dishwashing soap, glass & window cleanser and
tub & tile cleanser at seven cents an ounce.
Another unique feature is the light booth, which enables customers to view light bulbs in a controlled environment, as well as paint chips and other materials and color options under different lighting conditions.
Green Depot isn't the only ecostore in the country. Rateitgreen.com lists over 70, mostly on the west coast. Some of the more inspiring names: Ecohaus (Seattle, WA); EcoWise (Austin, TX); Living Green (Santa Barbara, CA); Ecoterric (Bozeman, MT); Eco $mart (Petersburg, FL); Greenovate (Columbus, OH); and Straw Sticks & Bricks (Lincoln, NE).
Discussion Question: What do you think of the growth potential for green stores? What will be the key factors to their success?