Maria Bosak and Leanne Sucrow, owners of Eco Chic Boutique in Fargo, N.D.
On a chilly morning, the bell rings at the front door of Eco Chic, welcoming a customer in from the cold. A man walks in and explained that he stumbled upon the store by accident while visiting from Detroit Lakes. While taking advantage of the store find, he looks around, admiring displays and spends 20 minutes visiting about all things green with Leanne Sucrow, Eco Chic co-owner.
After he leaves, Sucrow smiles, “It’s about meeting new people, I love the education part of the store. We learn from the customers and they learn from us.”
The store grew out of conversations between Sucrow and Bosak during morning walks around their neighborhood. Sucrow had recently become a mom and avid label reader and found that other moms were on the hunt for more natural products as well.
“I was not only responsible for me, but for a little being,” Sucrow says. “It makes you reevaluate life.”
Furniture, including tables, chairs and ottomans, has been reclaimed from thrift stores, rummage sales and sometimes, even dumpsters. Once Sucrow, a designer, gets a hold of them, they get sanded, painted or reupholstered.
It’s where the “being green” model starts in the store that caters to baby, mom, home and pets with items such as cloth diapers, lotion, shampoo, kitchen accessories and a pet section.
Maria Bosak, Eco Chic co-owner, says being “green” means improving the health of people, which in turn affects the planet. Bosak and Sucrow research the products they carry in the store, but also the companies that produce them. The owners support companies that believe in less manufacturing and less waste lead, which leads to smaller packages that cut down on emissions while shipping. They research what companies are doing behind the scenes.
“Green advertising is deceiving,” Bosak says. “Do your research and dig deep – prove that a product is green. Don’t just trust a company that says it has green products.”
Eco Chic also promotes locally made products, which must be handmade, one of a kind, and fit under the green model.
Bosak says consumers need to buy with awareness. She recommends disposing of harmful cleaners and toys with possible lead paint – but she says not to get rid of all of your clothing just to buy bamboo clothing and micro fiber towels. Start at home, if you have something, you won’t need to buy it. But the next time you need a new cutting board or kitchen bowl, try to be eco friendly in your purchase.
“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to change everything at once,” Bosak says. “Change one thing today.”
The store carries gift items from toys to jewelry and bamboo clothing, but having opened in June 2010, one of its popular items became sunscreen.
“I can’t stress enough that our bodies are sponges,” Sucrow says. “Whatever you put on your skin is going to be absorbed and it’s going to go into your bloodstream.”
Compost bins are another popular store item; they can sit outside your home in one location, but are moveable. A compost bin is a way to keep food waste out of landfills and it creates nutrient rich soil for gardens.
The owners plan to add more outdoor inventory for spring, including gardening items, pest and weed control (which are nontoxic for humans and pets), eco friendly outdoor dinnerware, and bug spray made with essential oils.
“A lot of people who want better choices are doing their research, there are a lot of label readers out there,” Sucrow says. “It’s all about education.”
Store Details:
Eco Chic Boutique
4955 17th Avenue South
Fargo, ND
Open: Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
