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August 23, 2007
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Cluster of green Concord Coop is known as the place to pick up organic or fair-trade food. But with the advent of a few new businesses in Concord this summer, the capital’s downtown might become known as a center for earth-friendly shopping. Debby de Moulpied opened Real Green Goods across from the Coop about six weeks ago at 35 South Main St. While she was searching online for recycling products more than a year ago, she kept running into sites for green stores in the western part of the U.S. The food industry has done well in the east, but there weren’t options for other environmentally friendly or socially responsible products, she said. So the stay-at-home mom from Bow decided to open a green “department store.” Growing up in New Hampshire fostered de Moulpied’s commitment to using Earth-friendly products, she said. She found that reports about climate change parallel what she’s seen in her home state. “I can tell you ice out is two weeks different,” she said, about when New Hampshire lakes melt after the winter. Thirty years ago you could drive cars on the ice on Lake Winnipesaukee during winter vacation but not now, she said. Lilacs bloomed on Memorial Day instead of Mother’s Day. She has several more examples. “That’s my motivation,” she said. Meredith Gonzales, owner of Your Home, Your World at 138 N. Main St., contacted de Moulpied when Real Green Goods opened. Some of the stores in Concord overlap a little with their green products, but rather than compete, they decided to join forces to market together. Seven or eight stores are collaborating on a brochure to promote downtown Concord as “a green shopping center of New England,” de Moulpied said. They will place the brochure in state tourism kiosks. Museums and the capitol make the place a tourist destination, and de Moulpied hopes Red River Theatres independent movie house will bring even more people. The businesses plan to pool advertising and create a Web site, greenconcord.org. “We can help each other out help and maybe help ourselves out at same time,” Gonzales said. Gonzales opened Your Home, Your World (yourhomeyourworld.com) about nine months ago across from the Statehouse to sell home-interior items like healthy paints, organic mattresses, flooring and counter tops. She lives in Manchester but wanted something centrally located — she gets customers from all over New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. She also thought foot traffic was better in downtown Concord than Manchester. “There aren’t too many green stores in New Hampshire,” said Gonzeles, who moved from California three years ago. The Green Concord marketing venture has the potential to lead people to one street of green living products, she said. “It just shows that this really is a trend,” Rebecca Jones, owner of Sage Living, said about the concentration of new green stores. “It’s nice to know demand is high enough to support these businesses.” Sage Living is joining the Green Concord marketing group. The Boscawen herbalist and aromatherapist opened Sage Living at 30A Warren St. two years ago (sagelivingllc.com). Primarily she sells herbs, some locally and sustainably made gifts, and some bath and body products. “It’s more complementary than competitive,” Jones said of the Green Concord businesses. Lotions ’N Potions, at 25 N. Main St., is also in the group and sells an organic skincare line. Concord Cooperative Market (concordfoodcoop.coop) joined, and Bartlett Design Associates opened a new store, Bartlett Home Design Studio, in June at 30 S. Main St. which sells a line of “green” furniture. Earth Made at 18 Pleasant St. stocks natural lingerie, sleepwear, and bath and cleaning products. The group has also invited the Gondwana clothing shop. At Your Home, Your World, some of the most popular items are AFM Safecoat paints, which are durable, don’t smell, and are environment- and human-friendly. They have low or no volatile organic compounds (some people experience headaches or concentration problems around VOCs, and some studies have shown that VOCs can affect development in children). Organic mattresses are popular because they are free of the fire-retardant chemicals manufacturers use to ensure their products are up to code; those chemicals can get into your bloodstream, breast milk, and elsewhere. Wool is naturally fire-resistant and is used for the organic mattresses. “I wanted to offer a little bit of everything” other than food, de Moulpied said. Real Green Goods offers home goods, cleaning products, toys, clothing, compact fluorescent light bulbs, personal care items and more. She has about 200 suppliers. Some are local, including a Bow maker of birdhouses, and others are international. As well as being earth-friendly, de Moulpied makes sure products at Real Green Goods are made by people who have good working conditions and are paid a living wage. The store is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. “I always say, ‘Do you need a bag?,’ not ‘Do you want one?’” de Moulpied said. She’s only had to give out about three of the “bio bags,” the 100 percent non-genetically modified corn shopping bags Real Green Goods offers instead of plastic ones. The store sells a large selection of reusable shopping bags. One of Real Green Goods’ top sellers is paper made out of elephant poop, called Mr. Ellie Pooh. Steel water bottles are another big seller since recent research has shown that bottles made of #7 plastic, like Nalgene, can leach dangerous chemicals. “I think we have more power in numbers about educating the public,” de Moupied said. Some of the stores offer talks or newsletters. “I hope this will foster awareness,” de Moupied said about Green Concord.
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