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The North Wales, Montgomery County store is called Life is Good. So far, it's living up to its namesake.Marci and Michael Snyder opened the doors just 3 weeks ago and business is already booming at this lifestyle shop.
Marci tells Action News, "We've had a wonderful positive feedback. A positive response to our opening."
Michael added, "It's almost a cult following. People love Life is Good. The response is quite overwhelming."
The Snyders decided early on that a store with such a positive message should not have a negative impact on the environment. So, they chose a green architect, Sigi Koko, of Down to Earth Design. She chose products that were made without toxic chemicals for the shop's shelving and decor.
The floorboards come from a sustainable tree farm in Pennsylvania. But what really has customers buzzing is the dressing room wall, made of an age-old material called cob.
Sigi Koko says, "It's basically clay as a binder, sand as an aggregate, so the clay is holding the clay together, and straw."
The store's contractor, Michael Van Saun, employed the cardinal rule of going green - reuse whenever possible. He brought reclaimed wood into the design. Even the mat at the store's entrance is made of recycled rubber tires.
"Reused the exterior walls of this space. Reused the ceilings, the lights, the mechanical systems and a lot of the electrical infrastructure," explained Van Saun of Mid Atlantic Construction.
Koko explained, "There's no chemicals, there's no toxicity, there's no transportation issues."
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