Organic everything - biz idea?

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SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
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So my wife and I are having our first baby. :biggrin:

We're half hippy half yuppie. When it comes to our lifestyle we're rather modern, but when it comes to food we're extremely organic. For our baby we're preparing a room with bamboo flooring, VOC free paint, organic solid wood furniture, etc.

My wife has observed that most of the good smaller companies that sell organic furniture are really poorly designed. The professional sites are just conglomerate distributors that don't ensure what they're selling is actually organic - they just focus on buzzwords like "eco-friendly" or "non-toxic" or various industry certifications that don't mean anything to the layman.

So I was thinking about starting a new organic site. Wifey is stay-at-home, so she could become the manager of the online store. Everything we'd sell would be direct from the distributors; she'd just manage the orders.

How many people here buy organic items online? What sites are your favorite, and is there anything you've had trouble finding?

:hmm:
 

Titan

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Oct 15, 1999
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I've converted to the organic food thing and feel good doing it personally. But organic furniture? I live in VT in a hippie town, shop at the coop all the time, and hang with friends that work there and I never heard of hippie furniture. Clothes yes, but not furniture. Of course you west coast kids are always ahead of us east coasters, but VT echoes a lot of CA mentality.

Sounds like a niche market. I'll ask around and see what people say.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
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I've converted to the organic food thing and feel good doing it personally. But organic furniture? I live in VT in a hippie town, shop at the coop all the time, and hang with friends that work there and I never heard of hippie furniture. Clothes yes, but not furniture. Of course you west coast kids are always ahead of us east coasters, but VT echoes a lot of CA mentality.

Sounds like a niche market. I'll ask around and see what people say.

We live in NC. ^_^

Organic furniture = Real wood (press board is EVIL) with no formaldehyde or VOC materials, and voc-free non-toxic stain (typically tung oil).

Most of the time its just called "Yamish" furniture, but that's a specific style.
 

Redfraggle

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Jan 19, 2009
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*enter wifey*

Titan, I lived nearby you in the Adirondacks and probably wouldn't have considered organic furniture then either. In places like that, much of that furniture is made, though often not called such. When you move to larger metro areas, all you can find is Ikea crap or similar that's full of MDF and potentially toxic finishes (toddlers love to chew their cribs).

The target demographic would probably be people more like us, in metro areas, for furniture and such. For those in areas like yours, it would be a source of bedding, clothing, possibly hard to get foods and health/beauty products.

I'd probably include a section of DIY projects and recipes and information as well -- as I am a proponent of such.
 

schmedy

Senior member
Dec 31, 1999
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I've converted to the organic food thing and feel good doing it personally. But organic furniture? I live in VT in a hippie town, shop at the coop all the time, and hang with friends that work there and I never heard of hippie furniture. Clothes yes, but not furniture. Of course you west coast kids are always ahead of us east coasters, but VT echoes a lot of CA mentality.

Sounds like a niche market. I'll ask around and see what people say.

I live in Essex....saw a commerical the other day but didn't catch what store, had "Green carbon zero soy furniture" I all but fell off the couch laughing. About all I do is buy local food when it is season, other then that, what is on sale.
 

Redfraggle

Platinum Member
Jan 19, 2009
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I live in Essex....saw a commerical the other day but didn't catch what store, had "Green carbon zero soy furniture" I all but fell off the couch laughing. About all I do is buy local food when it is season, other then that, what is on sale.

LOL So, can you eat it while watching a movie?
 

PricklyPete

Lifer
Sep 17, 2002
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Wow....didn't realize organic furniture existed. My wife and I tend toward the organic brands if we feel it is not just a marketing item. A lot of our shopping is done at Trader Joes. I can't say I pay attention to it for purchases outside of food though.
 
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