New shop paints the town green

Eco-organic-fair trade store debuts in Lawrenceville.

Equita, an emporium of green, socially responsible goods, opened on November 24 in the historic Ice House Factory in Lawrenceville. The Equita line includes: home furnishings; kitchen and bath; apparel, jewelry and handbags; body care; and baby clothing. In addition to functional goods for body and home, they will also carry specialty foods such as Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, tea and olive oil. Products are organic and made from recycled materials and renewable resources. Several of their featured brands are being offered for the first time in the Pittsburgh area.

Co-owner/proprietor Sara Parks tells Dish about the new venture.

Tell us about yourselves:

We're a small family-run business--the co-owners and co-proprietors are my sister Amanda Parks, her husband Michael Solano and myself. Amanda and I were born and raised in Pittsburgh and Michael is originally from Costa Rica. Last fall, Amanda and Michael moved back from Costa Rica last year after about 10 years there. I finally quit my corporate job a few months ago and now we all dedicate ourselves to this business full-time.

How long was the planning process?

About a year. It is notoriously difficult to obtain capital to start a socially-motivated business through the traditional channels and we found that to be true. So it took us a little longer than most to get things up and running. We have received a great deal of guidance and support from the Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University (SBDC), the people of Pittsburgh and other small business owners.

Why did you chose Pittsburgh?

We wanted to locate in Pittsburgh for several reasons. We find it to be unpretentious, livable and affordable. We have all lived in a number of cities both in the US and abroad including San Francisco, Boston, Geneva and New York and do not think it would have been possible to have started an enterprise like ours in any of those cities--the expense would have been unmanageable, a suitable space nearly impossible to locate. We are very happy to be here and the response we've gotten from Pittsburghers has been better than we ever could have imagined. Pittsburgh was the cradle of the modern labor movement and we find Fair Trade to be an extension of that same struggle. People of all ages, income levels and political persuasions have come in to our store and thanked us for expanding the range of ethical products available to them here in Pittsburgh.

Tell us about the store:

Our store is about 1700 square feet. We have three lines: body, home and food. Body includes natural body care, clothing, handbags and jewelry. The home line is comprised of rugs, baskets, kitchen and bath, towels and sheets, glassware, etc. Food is our smallest section but we have a good selection of Fair Trade coffees, chocolate, tea, dried fruit, olive oil, local honey, etc. We carry a number of items that could be suitable for winter including: hot chocolate, coffee and tea; cold weather gear from Fair Trade cashmere sweaters to union-made hoodies and fleece jackets; recycled glassware, plates and platters for the holiday table and gifts in all price ranges.

Equita Essentials for Ethical Living,100 43^rd St., #114, Ice House, 412-353-0109.