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Home & Garden

Eco 7 Trading Co.: Every Piece Tells a Story

At the downtown Carrollton shop no good material goes to waste.
By Kristy Alpert |
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photography by Elizabeth Lavin

After years spent disparaging the wastefulness of her once beloved construction industry, Eli Brown gathered her courage, her tools, and her partner Andrea Bologna and started an eco-friendly venture in an unlikely location.

The duo opened Eco 7 Trading Co. off the square in historic downtown Carrollton to merge their passions for reclaiming, recycling, and repurposing antique and industrial furnishings. The store is a pristine picker’s paradise where it’s not uncommon to see a vintage Studebaker hood hung as wall art above a handcrafted reclaimed-wood coffee table. Brown calls their style “industrial” but has put much effort into making the shop feel fresh and modern. “Industrial is a great product combination of steel and metal and rich reclaimed woods,” she explains. From old metal letters and 25-pound typewriters to World War II artifacts and antique medical equipment, every piece tells a story.

Although the women carry a few items on consignment, everything else in the store has been restored or made with completely eco-friendly materials, such as water-based and low VOC paints, stains, and sealers. All of their repurposed pieces are handcrafted and made with a variety of materials, including reclaimed or recycled wood, metal, and architectural elements. “I did not want to work with harmful chemicals, and I did not want to be wasteful or buy new materials,” Brown says. “Any time I can find an item and preserve a piece of history, or keep a piece out of a landfill, I’m happy.”

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