Spring 2007

Green: the new black?

Green Business

Walk into Dunia Ecostore in Maynard, MA, and one of the first things you’ll notice is how completely its owners, Paige O’Brien and Ahmad Moeljadi Chadran, have incorporated their earth-friendly philosophy into their store. The flooring is made from marmoleum, a linoleum made with natural ingredients, and eco-friendly bamboo.

What was once a door in a doctor’s office is now used as a display case, and nothing is wasted or thrown away.

The husband-and-wife team started Dunia Ecostore in February 2006, but the project has been many years in the making.

O’Brien says she and her husband had been living the environmentally friendly lifestyle for quite a few years when they discovered that they had to go many places to find the products that met their lifestyle needs.

O’Brien and Chadran soon realized that there were many people like them, a market segment labeled Cultural Creatives, driven by the principles of LOHAS—Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Among other things, Cultural Creatives emphasize organic and earth-friendly consumption.

O’Brien says that she and her husband, after years of working in various fields, including high-tech, wanted a more fulfilling life. “We also wanted our work to be an extension of us,” she says. “So we liked the idea of having a real brick-and-mortar store filled with all the things that we have been enjoying.”

The shop’s location, in an up-and-coming artist town, has also led the couple to showcase local artists’ work in the store. Dunia’s artist exhibitions have become a popular way for the store to be part of the larger community it serves. Artists typically display their work in the store for a couple of months, have an opening reception and donate a percentage of proceeds to a nonprofit of their choice.

Dunia stocks products in a wide range of categories, including fair-trade linens (Tribal Fiber), accessories made from recycled materials (Littlearth, Christy Fisher jewelry, Work of Art watches), bamboo products (Totally Bamboo), skin care (Suki Naturals), bath-and-body products (Pangea Organics), makeup (Hemp Organics) and glass dinnerware (Fire & Light).

Chadran and O’Brien are energized by the faithful following their store has attracted, and satisfied with their business decision to follow their true calling—delivering eco-friendly products to people just like them. “When you feel so strongly about something that it is a visceral feeling in your gut, you just have to follow it,” O’Brien says.