Mike Ayres and Raquel Anderson

For about six months leading up to the opening, Ayres and Anderson cultivated their business on the Internet, researching and refining their product mix while establishing a small base of customers out of state.

Now, just two months shy of the end of its first year of operation, Structured Green's 5,000-sq.-ft. showroom holds 30 lines of furniture, accessorized with mirrors and lighting fixtures of rattan and twisting vines from Padma's Plantation; monkey pod and mango vases from Natural Fine Furnishings; candleholders, vases, bowls and fireplace screens made from recycled metal, washers, wine bottles and rebar from One Eighty Design; colorful HDPE (recycled detergent bottles) wall clocks from Bean Products; hemp and organic cotton pillows colored with water-based dyes from Amenity; mirrors and shadow boxes made of kirei board, bamboo and recycled aluminum from Organo; glass sculptures and vases made in Esque's wind-powered eco-conscious studio; SoftBowls from Mio, handmade from 100% molded wool and, according to Structured Green's very informative Web site descriptions, “produced using less than one-tenth of the energy needed to create their ceramic counterparts.”

Ayres also just opened an account with Bambu, and will be the first U.S. retailer to carry PURE by Ami Mckay. “At first we were just touching on stuff; now we're adding to that and refining the mix to give more of a selection,” he said. “The choices in green and eco-friendly furniture are growing quickly so it's getting easier.”

It also became easier after Ayres and Anderson defined their selection criteria. “Early on, when we began looking at the manufacturers, everybody had a negative,” Ayres said. “So we went back and said, 'OK, are they at least making a conscious effort to be better than the average furniture manufacturer? Are they choosing to use better sources? Cleaning up their factory?' That's how we started to go through this.”

To date, all of Structured Green's merchandise has been ordered from on site and the owners have not yet traveled to a major market. “A lot of our manufacturers are small. When you call, the owner picks up the phone,” Ayres said. “These guys were ahead of the (Sustainable Furnishings Council), pushing this back in the late 1990s. But they can't afford Greenguard certification — like the LEED buildings, the process is expensive.”

Which brings up the project that led to the launch of Structured Green. Ayres, an architect, and Anderson, an interior designer, used LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards as a guideline while renovating their 1871 home in one of Savannah's historic districts. “We spent four months ridding the house of toxins and off-gases and making eco-conscious decisions on finishes, cabinets and counters,” Ayres said. As the completion neared, they began looking for the same thing in furnishings. “We studied LEED in college and were familiar with it in our professional career but the idea of green furniture never occurred to us.”

Six months later, Structured Green opened in a building that reflects its owners' commitment to environmental betterment and energy conservation. “The temperature outside is about 94 degrees right now,” Ayres said. “There are no lights on in the store, just a 30-inch fan and the computer and radio and that's it. The high windows let the hot air out and provide cross ventilation. Does it get hot? Absolutely, but it is still comfortable enough for someone to spend 30 minutes in here … and during about seven or eight months of the year, it's perfect.”

Locally, the store gets more attention from the progressive residents who live downtown, including students and faculty from The Savannah College of Art and Design, of which Ayres is an alumnus. “We just keep doing these little projects to stay in touch with the school,” he said. “We hosted an exhibit a while back, a furniture designer is going to do his thesis here, we went over and critiqued some mid-term projects a few weeks ago, and some of the students will be presenting their final projects at the store.”

The store has also expanded into custom design work. “We're getting ready to do our first cabinets from reclaimed pine flooring. The guy next door has been restoring houses for 25 years and has tons of materials,” Ayres said. “We can walk over and pick through pieces of lumber from houses that have been deconstructed or restored, and turn a little of Savannah's history into a piece of furniture.”

Not bad for a start-up in a low-traffic area, one that operates without air conditioning in a balmy Southern city and whose owners tend their green merchandise mix like disciplined native plant gardeners.

So what's the payback for going the extra green mile?

“When I see someone walk in and their eyes get big and the first thing they ask is 'what's going on here' or 'what's all this about' and you talk to them about what you're doing,” Ayres said. “I had a guy the other day that spent an hour and a half in here. He walked out the door, got on his phone and said 'I just walked into the most amazing store, a hidden gem, in Savannah.'”