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If you are worried about the over-use of chemicals in your home then you should check out Green Home Experts, located at 823 S. Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois. Owned by Maria Onesto Moran, this store is part of a new breed of hardware stores. They offer building supplies and home products that are environmentally friendly. So the next time you decide to do a little remodeling or home improvement check out some of their eco-friendly flooring, paints, insulation, water fixtures, counter tops, cabinets, mattresses, and more. Those that are just looking for small ticket items will happily find fluorescent light bulbs, non-toxic cleaning products, organic fabrics, and eco-friendly garden supplies. Open Tuesday through Sunday, Green Home Experts offer consultation services for architects, designers, decorators and contractors. Just contact the store for more details.
I asked store owner Onesto Moran why she wanted to open this kind of store. She told me,
“I wanted to open the store because my husband and I wanted to make some changes to the our first home but couldn’t find anyplace to make the purchases in person. So we were in a position where we would have had to do all the research and buy everything online. Which taught me there was a need for experts in green building, and a need for a place where you could see the products and experience them in person.”
Flooring is one area where shoppers area already seeing the benefit of experiencing the products in person.
The entire front area of the store features a sunny yellow Marmoleum floor. Oneso Moran reports that many people who have come in have said they’ve been interested in Marmoleum, but didn’t know where to go to find it. (Marmoleum is the updated version of true Linoleum, and is made from linseed and other natural materials.)
I know I hope there’s a Marmoleum floor in my kitchen’s future — I’m planning a white and yellow checkerboard layout to go with my retro kitchen. There are a ton of colors, so I know I’ll be able to choose whatever I want when I’m ready to buy.
I asked Onesto Moran what product in the store she’s most excited about. She surprised me by saying, “the product that I’m really excited about is an all purpose construction adhesive called Bondaflex,” that she says is like a green Liquid Nails.
What other products are you really excited to offer? I asked her. She said, “anything in our baby department because my hope is that the babies who are given our products now, when they grow up and walk in the store themselves, these products will be mainstream products — because green will be the mainstream.”
Check out the store’s website at Green Home Experts. If you’re in the area, the Grand Opening is this weekend, February 23-24, though the store is already open for business and ready for the spring remodeling season.
Here are just a few samples of product brands you will find at Green Home Experts in Oak Park, IL, a one-stop shop for all things eco-friendly in home decorating, maintenance, and remodeling.
Tags: Building Supplies, Eco Living, Eco-Friendly, Environmentally Friendly, Green Home, Home Products, Review, Store
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Meet the Author
Thanks Elane, this is really interesting as I always look for green remodeling solution and also tell my readers in my blogs about it. However, I had not heard about Marmoleum. This is great solution for kitchen as you mentioned but also in the basement. Thanks again for the information.
It is fascinating to see people opening such business based on products and material that is “natural products” and “environmentally friendly”.
Eventhough natural products tend to require more effort to install than their synthetic counterparts, but they are also more easily repaired and replaced. In the long run, the life cycle costs of natural products are usually less expensive. Plus they bring greater satisfaction during installation and for generations of use.