Support Eco-Artware.com

September is officially Support Small Green Businesses Month here at Greener Assets. This interview is part of that series. You can find more information about his series here.

Today’s featured business is Eco-Artware.com. Check out their website and this interview with owner Reena Kazmann:

Greener Assets: How did your business first get started?

Reena: I’ve had several crafts-related businesses in the past. This one started when I went to the Gift Show in 1999 and saw too few products made from recycled materials–there wasn’t much available then. They stood out from everything else by their strong design and efficiency of reusing discarded materials.

I thought this was the way to go and on faith, opened up an online store trusting that there would be more products available in the future.

GA: Tell us a little about your products.

R: I have an online gift store, Eco-Artware.com (www.eco-artware.com). We offer gifts from recycled, reused and natural materials for all occasions and price ranges by 27 (and counting) artists. Our artists have a special imagination and talent to identify and use sustainable materials–these supplies are not always easy to find. It sometimes takes detective work to locate retired aluminum road signs to make into chairs, obsolete typewriters to give up their keys for cuff links, old bicycle parts for picture frames. Some artists look out for used or discarded (but perfectly good) materials such as 33 rpm records and transform them into innovative bowls and coasters.

At Eco-Artware.com, we care about workers’ rights and quality of life, and check that all the people who make our products receive fair wages and work reasonable hours in good conditions. We pack your orders in a way that is also easy on our environment. Most of our packing peanuts and bubble wrap are reused from boxes we receive, and we spread the word to our neighbors and local stores to let us know when they have some available. We also find some by answering notices on Freecycle.org and our local neighborhood web chatroom. When necessary, we buy only biodegradable packing peanuts. We hope you will find a little space to store these supplies, too, and use them for your future shipping.

We offer information and crafts ideas in addition to our catalogue. With the help of our visitors and returning customers, Eco-Artware.com has compiled a Recycling Guide, a growing directory of resources to help find new homes for everything from appliances (in good working order) to wedding dresses. If you know of a good resource, please let us know and we will add it. We offer diy craft projects; a free illustrated newsletter, Recycling Rag, which appears every 3-4 months and covers the relationship of recycling and the arts; a holiday gift guide with suggestions for green ideas for celebrating the holidays; and an article about ways to wrap and decorate for holidays and celebrations.

GA: What are your most popular sellers?

R: It’s hard to pick because different products are very popular at different times. Here are some evergreens:

• record bowls and coasters
• typewriter key cuff links
• toys made from recycled sweaters
• business card cases made from unusable circuit boards
• Ming Dynasty pottery shard pendant necklaces

GA: Where do you see your business going in the future?

R: Because there is wider recognition of the need to save our resources, I think there more people will be interested in our well designed and eco -friendly products.

Thanks Reena and Eco-Artware.com!

Pictures with permission from Eco-Artware.com.