Shopping Eco-consciously on Roosevelt
With Earth Day and May Day in the not-too-distant past, we were feeling more earth-friendly than usual and spent the weekend bouncing in and out of eco-conscious, recycling shops. Our first stop on Roosevelt Way was a women’s consignment store, Oh Bella! (6507 Roosevelt Way NE), where we joined three women in the coffin-sized shop. Somehow, we rotated with the women around freestanding rack to browse the rack and the walls. We noted a Moschino Cheap and Chic bubble skirt, but at $50, we thought it was chic but not as cheap as we expected for a consignment shop.
"Red-headed Panda" snapped by Seattlest Flickr Pool member westonh thinks bamboo is better for eating than wearing.
We crossed 65th Street to Shirazi (6408 Roosevelt Way NE), another women’s clothier. The sign on the door told us to "Buy Local" and informed us they had bamboo clothing. Bamboo clothing? That was new. We inquired of the salesclerk who informed us that bamboo clothing provided UV protection and was hypoallergenic and biodegradable.
We weren’t certain we wanted our clothing to decompose just yet, but we asked the salesclerk where the bamboo clothing was to check out the styles. "The rack by the door," she said. We went over toward the door but were uncertain which rack. The one on the wall? Or one of the three angled toward the door? Since she had a foot in a cast and crutches, we forgave her for not getting up to show us specifically. We picked a rack, and after checking the labels hit upon the bamboo clothing.
The fabric was soft and in muted earth tones. A pair of black stretch-waist pants ($95) with seams on the outside looked perfect for yoga--except they were too heavy and would overheat the yogini. We liked the softness and lightness of the bamboo tights ($42), but thought the material was a little too see-through for public exercise.
Whereas Oh Bella! aimed to supply the trends of last two years to those who followed trends, Shirazi aimed squarely for the timeless earth goddess/bohemian type. A grouping of skirts combined layers of chiffon and silk, a kaleidoscope of bright colors and patterns, which swirled in psychedelic delight before our eyes. Like other clothes in Shirazi, the skirts had a commendable social and/or environmental purpose behind their creation. We admired the idea behind these skirts ($35), which were made from recycled saris. We felt we should be sipping on carrot juice as we browsed.
Next door at Bamboo Hardwoods (6204 Roosevelt Way NE), it was (mostly) bamboo. Yes, they too had bamboo clothing: socks for $10 and soft shirts for $26. Again, we fingered the soft material and again worried about how hot the shirts would be. We moved on to what no bamboo-centered store can be without: lucky bamboo and bamboo fountains ($16; $12). Our eyes swept over these quickly (we already have one of each, and that’s enough, thank you).
We moved on to what comprised half of the floor display: the bamboo flooring. We admired the tigerwood bamboo, a yellow and brown striped wood, and began to calculate how much it would cost to replace all our carpet at $6 per yard. Then we began to calculate the cost of moving all our furniture to lay the bamboo down and offering our home to workers, and our eyes crossed. We decided to stick with carpet for now. After all, using what we already have is another way to preserve resources. We think our carpet is made of recycled fibers.
