Newport’s annual Winter Festival is going on right now (Feb 13-22), and Melissa and I took advantage of this opportunity over the weekend. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we knew we wanted to see the ice sculpture demonstrations taking place at Brick Market. After driving around and almost throwing in the towel, I was lucky enough to grab a spot right on Thames, which never happens. This led us to the many shops of Brick Market - including perhaps the most amazing new shop in all of Newport.
Green Envy is the brainchild of Rachel Lessne, whose passion for sustainability, fashion and making a difference in the world are evident the second you walk into the store. Melissa and I were greeted with a kind smile and a welcoming hello and we both knew we had come to the right place. So often you walk into shops in Newport and because of the status of the area being a playground for the wealthy, you’re made to feel like they’re doing you a favor for allowing you to shop their store. This wasn’t the case with Rachel and Green Envy. Any hint of the pretentious side of Newport was checked at the door.
Her shop is filled with amazing products from around the world with one general theme…organic, fair trade, and eco-friendly. After looking throughout at the many clean burning soy candles (they happened to be Melissa's favorite- Soy Candles by Phebes - and we had never seen them in a store) and organic cotton t-shirts, we found a table of books made of leaves and bound with twigs and branches. Of course this piqued our interest and we immediately started looking at what turned out to be journals and date books made in the Philippines using fair trade practices and sustainable materials - which if left outside long enough would biodegrade. Very cool and perfect for our friends birthday.
Other hot new items that we loved included the solar powered tote bags and backpacks. That’s right, a tote bag or backpack that you can use to recharge your cell phone, iPod or camera and I’m sure that’s not all. Oh…did I mention that the materials used to make the tote bags are also biodegradable or can be reclaimed or reused? Given that Melissa and I love to hike and be out on the trail taking pictures, I’m sure it won’t be long before we have either one of these bags. We got the feeling that so much thought and care has gone into the opening of Green Envy, and I think it’s this attention to detail that makes the difference in the retail world.
We went in with the intention of looking for a birthday gift for a friend, which we found, and left feeling so thankful that people like Rachel Lessne care enough about putting a product out there that makes the world a better place.
Bob Black REALTOR Williams & Stuart Real Estate 870 Oaklawn Ave Cranston, RI, 02920 | Work: 401.942.0200 ext 28 Mobile: 401.261.1599 Bob@BobBlackOnline.com | |
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