Seed People's Market Takes Root

Shaheen Sadeghi jumped into the front lines of the environmental retail game last month when he opened the eco-emporium Seed People’s Market at his Costa Mesa, Calif., specialty shopping center The Camp. It is located across the street from his other shopping center, The Lab/Anti-Mall.

Sadeghi would have preferred someone else to open a compound for eco-fashion, gifts, food and gardening at the 12,000-square-foot space once occupied by the Adventure 16 camping store. “But no one stood up to the plate,” he said.

Seed is owned by Sadeghi and his wife, Linda. More than one-third of the store is devoted to eco-friendly apparel. The space offers a 3,000-square-foot mini-shop for trailblazing brand Patagonia. It also offers brands ranging from women’s eco-luxury lines Linda Loudermilk to Mr. Larkin. There is organic T-shirt label Urban Octopus and eco-friendly surf label Ando & Friends from San Diego. Retail price points for these fashions range from $24 for an Urban Octopus tee to $300 for a Mr. Larkin dress.

A small organic restaurant called Under the Stairs Cafeacute; is located in the store. It will have a 3,000-square-foot space for classes on gardening, cooking and sustainability. The emporium also sells gardening tools and supplies along with gifts and books.

Sadeghi and his team designed the store to feel like a garden. The building’s more than 20-foot-high ceilings house six live palm trees. The south wall is covered with fern-like plants. The building has a “living roof,” or sod cover, where grasses and small shrubs grow. It creates insulation and cuts down on heating and cooling costs.—Andrew Asch