Many people attend Earth Day celebrations or recognize the yearly event in some way, but for Teri Carter, owner of EcoChic in Milford, Earth Day is a day that changed her life.
“I was always sort of natural,” explained Carter, who worked as a registered nurse before having children. “I had two homebirths. I nursed,” she said, “but I never really paid attention to the effect I had on the environment. I wasn’t really educated. It wasn’t until an Earth Day event at Killens Pond that I really started to pay attention.”
It was that day, Carter said, that she started to realize, with five kids, how much waste they accumulated as a family, and they started recycling. As a family, they eventually cut the amount of trash they generated down to a third of what it had been, and they have replaced most of their trash containers with recycling bins. Carter’s affinity for all things green just grew from there.
Eventually she started purchasing online “green” products for herself and family. It was in May of 2009 that the concept for her own store came to her. And she went ahead with it – full speed ahead.
“I purchased a lot online, and I just thought, ‘This is crazy. Why is there no eco-living store? There are several products in various stores.’ And I thought, ‘I know there are people out there like me.’ And I just started talking to family and friends about a store, and I said, ‘And I’m gonna call it EcoChic!’”
Carter started looking at wholesale opportunities and decided, since her family lived in Milford, she would make the town the store’s home base. “I came in the building – I didn’t want a new one, obviously, and it spoke to me. We purchased the building, settled in August and opened Dec. 1.”
The 2,200-square-foot building is now filled with organic skin creams and children’s products, fair-trade items, organic T-shirts for men and women, vegan handbags and jewelry. They carry such brands as California Baby, Kiss My Face, Jurlique, Earthlust, Caldera, Jillery, Greenlabel, Big Buddha and Dinorah. Many of the items also have some of their proceeds going to various causes, such as Heifer International, which provides livestock and training to families around the world so they can feed themselves.
Carter – nicely dressed and adorned with recycled aluminum jewelry – might not look like everyone’s idea of someone who just stepped off an organic farm, but that’s just it. She doesn’t need to. Her customers are looking for everything from bamboo sheets to fair-trade finger puppets to designer bags, and they just want to feel good about their purchases.
“I am hoping more people will realize it’s not weird to be green. You can still be normal,” she said, with a laugh.
Carter said that, with people coming in and asking about housewares and more, the store could end up being much bigger than the space she currently has. And while she loves the retail aspect of the shop and working with the people, she’s also pleased that the store really gives her a place to share her knowledge, as well.
“The thing is good customer service and education and treating people like individuals when they are here,” she said. “It’s kind of like being a nurse. I am still able to educate people.”
Locals are enjoying the new addition to downtown and are excited for what it means for the future and the growth of the local green industry and economy.
“EcoChic is an exciting addition to downtown Milford,” said Heather Felker, a Babywearing Educator. “The store is beautiful and speaks to both those who are striving to live more green and those who appreciate boutique shopping. I can’t wait to see what other products and services are added as the store grows.”
“EcoChic is great,” added Cindy Collins, a local doula and herbalist-in-training at Euphoric Birth Services. “They carry earth-friendly, recyclable products that are high-end. They are the first store in central Delaware to be devoted to being ‘green.’ I hope in the future they will carry products made locally to support Delawareans, in addition to carrying cloth diapers and other mother/baby products.”
Carter added that it only takes a little bit to make a difference.
“If everybody just did a little bit…. How easy is it to recycle? Or if everyone didn’t eat meat for just one day a week, the amount of fossil fuels that would be saved in transportation...”
She added that, while no one expects anyone to be perfect, and no one is, once people realize the effect things have on their body and, in turn, the environment, it is hard to turn a blind eye.
“We are all personally responsible. And once you are educated and you know it, you can’t throw it away.”
EcoChic is located at 28 Walnut Street in Milford. The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. (with extended summer hours). Customers can now also make an appointment with Hillary Reid, of Skin by Hillary, who is on-site by appointment for facials, waxing and ear candling. For more information or to make an appointment with Reid, call (302) 228-7208. For more information on EcoChic, check them out online at www.shopecochic.com or call (302) 422-4580.
As Milford grows, so do their eco-options. After visiting EcoChic, shoppers can stroll down to Good News Natural Foods’ Milford location or pick up their dry cleaning at Clothes 2 You, one of three locations in Delaware offering a non-toxic, environmentally safe alternative to traditional dry cleaning.
