It’s not always the greenest product that wins out, but the product that works best for the customer.
Elements of Green also provides customers with a list of contractors who are ready to install their products and designers that can help homeowners realize what they can do with their space. Seventy percent of Elements of Green customers are homeowners who want a new floor, countertop or back splash, Sabin said. He loves helping them with the project from beginning to end – picking out the product and helping them contact a contractor to install it.
“It’s fun to be able to help people do something unique and different,” Sabin said. “That’s our number one client.”
Elements of Green also works with commercial businesses, including Sheridan’s Unforked in Overkand Park, KS where the store installed the recycled glass outdoor tabletops.
While Elements of Green has had steady business and interest in the community, it is sometimes hard to find and keep products in the store. Some products will be really popular, but the manufacturer has to close its doors for various reasons, Sabin said. “I’m constantly looking for anything new and different,” he said. “I always have my ear out to the vendors that I am working with saying ‘Hey have you heard of anything new in the industry?’ or doing searches for sustainable building products and seeing what comes up.”
The store features a variety of tiles, countertops and even paint that is environmentally friendly.
Elements of Green also participates in First Friday events in the Crossroads to help promote the store. Sabin said he loves having open houses where local artists and residents can walk in and explore the store. And he usually gets a few customers out of it.
“The number of people that come in six to nine months later that say they were in on a First Friday is huge,” he said.
While Sabin has heard of many businesses like his open up, and sometimes close, around the country, he appreciates his loyal customers and the unique people who want to visit his shop.
“There’s never a bad day down here,” he said. “It’s fun. There are always people walking by who want to explore. People always want to touch and feel everything in the store.”
Elements of Green is located in the Crossroads at 1919 Wyandotte Street in Kansas City, MO. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment on Monday.
This story is another installment in our current series featuring small, local businesses that are pioneering sustainability. Find more local green businesses on the Greenability Marketplace.
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