Zionsville couple markets green gifts online
Going green shouldn't mean sacrificing quality, style or fun. That's the motto behind Celery Street, a new business owned by Zionsville couple JD and Evelyn Guinn. With a retail space open one day a week and a Web site open 24/7, Celery Street offers a great green selection without any sacrifice to the environment or style.
Unlike many green retailers that offer the every day items, Celery Street offers "eco-chic" products such as handbags, jewelry and home ware in place of the day-to-day green products like eco-friendly cleaners or compact fluorescent light bulbs. "You can buy those at Target," JD says. "We try to go for the unique things that are harder to find."
Despite the recent trend of environmental concern, featuring an entire Web site of green gifts is not as easy as it might seem. There are currently no eco-friendly tradeshows, and, according to JD, many Web sites featuring handmade green products only offer a few items. The Guinns search these smaller artisans' Web sites as well as regular gift, home and cooking tradeshows to assemble their stock.
JD characterizes Celery Street as "a broader offering than most," and believes that "we have a pretty chic, navigable site, so I think we come off more professional and not so homespun."
Since its August 2008 launch, this business-like approach has made Celery Street popular even with customers who don't care about the green factor. Search for journals on Google, and Celery Street frequently pops up on the sponsored links sidebar, attracting buyers for whom eco-friendliness is just a bonus and not a requirement.
Still, Celery Street's mission is to provide a green product, and as the site grows, the Guinns hope to fill a void in the eco-friendly market. "There is no green Amazon," JD says, explaining that many Web sites with a larger offering of green products have a "whole wellness" focus, and can confuse consumers with health and yoga products that "just aren't green."
However, he insists that "everything we have has to be green," quickly pointing out the only exception in the Celery Street warehouse: a reusable steel water bottle. According to the site, all other items are "made from organic, reused, refurbished and/or recycled products."
Products made from recycled materials not only reduce carbon impact of the new items, but create more opportunities for recycling. JD explains that it is difficult to recycle materials like plastics Nos. 5-7 because there are not many products that reuse them. Developing consumer products made from these materials creates more demand for them to be recycled, keeping them out of the landfills.
One example Evelyn offers is a sleek handbag made out of seatbelt scraps. Before the handbags were developed, there was no use for the scarps and they were discarded, but now that car company has a reason to recycle.
This might be a surprising concept to the average recycler, who assumes that everything that goes into the blue bins will find a second use. The Guinns emphasize the amount of new green practices they have discovered since starting the company.
"There's a huge learning curve," Evelyn says. To make informed buying choices, the couple thoroughly researches each product, including questions about product materials, but also how and where things are made.
Whenever possible, Celery Street purchases from cause-based suppliers or fair-trade cooperatives from around the globe. Their Mielie handbags are woven by Afrikaan mothers from leftover T-shirt scraps; sales of colorful desktop organizers made from used food wrappers benefit Nepali recycling programs.
Evelyn, who has a nonprofit background, loves the stories behind these products. "Part of being green is caring about the whole world," she says. "These products make a big difference; they make us feel good, they make the customers feel good, and they do good."
Stories behind the stock are just one of Celery Street's personal touches. Product descriptions include Evelyn's first-person opinions and describe how the Guinns use the products in their own home. More tips and anecdotes about the company and the Guinns' green experience appear on the Celery Street blog. One September entry details a Celery Street family outing, when Evelyn and 10-year-old daughter Audrey delivered a local order via bicycle.
It fits that the business stays connected to the family life where Celery Street found its start. JD and Evelyn are not environmental scientists or activists, but raising a family inspired them to eat organic food, use eco-friendly cleaning products and participate in curbside recycling. The Guinns, who have two children, have always been "green, but not extreme green," says Evelyn, comparing her household to other Indy families concerned and learning about eco-friendliness.
In late 2007, the couple was looking to start a company that would take advantage of JD's business consulting and Web experience. They found inspiration in their green home, and based the new business on their family's passion for eco-friendliness.
This homegrown idea evolved right out of their house; in the early days of Celery Street, the family residence served as headquarters. Repeated visits from friends and neighbors eager to explore the stock in the Guinns' basement finally inspired an outside showroom. This new venue allows Indy shoppers to check out the products in person every Friday.
Although local business is growing, Celery Street remains primarily a Web-based company. This national market raises concern for the environmental impact of shipping green products to the coasts. JD cites this as Celery Street's biggest challenge, which he hopes to offset by eventually imposing a voluntary carbon tax.
In the meantime, the shipping room features biodegradable bubble wrap and stacks of used boxes and packing material ready for a second life. There is no dumpster here; anything that absolutely can't be recycled must be transported home. "It doesn't save us time or money, but we do it for a reason," JD says.
The couple recognizes that they don't have all the solutions, and there is always more to learn and do in the quest to be green. However, as Evelyn explains, "Our customers in Indy are very much like us. We're just trying to do our best."
