Interview: Dominique of Sustainable NYC
I was born in New York City and grew up in a town about 30 miles north of Manhattan. Even though I haven’t lived there in almost 50 years, I miss many things about it. Even though I’ve never been addicted to shopping, one of the city’s great attributes is the variety of goods available. If you can’t find it in New York, I’m not sure you’ll find it anywhere!
I thought about that when I saw that a New York store, Sustainable NYC, had won Green America’s People’s Choice Award for Green Business of the Year.
“Sustainable NYC is more than a store, it is more like a community center,” wrote Green American Lynn Tiede, in her nomination of the store for the award. “They are a wonderful supporter of my school and environmental clubs, as well as a fully green business selling sustainable and locally made products.”
Happily, thanks to the internet, we no longer have to be in NYC to purchase, but believe me, next time I go, Sustainable NYC will top my list of places to visit.
Here’s a quick interview with Sustainable NYC’s owner, Dominique Camacho.
1. I read that ” Sustainable NYC 1,300 sq ft storefront is built from 300 year-old reclaimed lumber from NYC buildings.” Can you tell us a bit about that. How the decision was made, what were the challenges etc.
When we found this wonderful space, there was a lot to be done. We refinished the floors with waterbased stain and finish, the walls were painted with low VOC paint, the shelving was made out of reclaimed wood from NYC buildings, the fixtures are from Craigslist, our bulbs are all CFL and our outdoor lighting is solar powered. The challenge was in supervising the workers who wanted to use the toxic products they are familiar with.
2. Are there any types of products (specific or groups) that you are unable to source and would like to carry?
After four years, it’s so much easier to find everything now. In fact we turn away vendors every day—just don’t have the room. We have customer requests for products daily as well—that’s why our store has grown to be so eclectic. You can buy everything from re-chargable batteries to organic lipstick.
3. What are your most popular products and why is that?
Toms shoes are always popular since their marketing campaign of Buy One, Give One is so well known. At this time of year gifts are very popular, such as our jewelry—made from recycled metal, paper, glass or vinyl records and locally handcrafted. We also have holiday cards and gift wrap made from 100% post consumer recycled paper and veggie ink.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
