B93.3 LOVE LOCAL MKE IS PRESENTED BY PIZZA SHUTTLE
IL Bosco Ecoboutique
Address: 225 S. 2nd St Milwaukee, WI 53204
Phone: 414-212-8723
Website: www.ilboscomke.com
Type of business: Eco-friendly, Ethically Sourced, Upcycled, Repurposed and Sustainable Home Goods and Plants.
Christa Cianciolo, Owner:
In a few sentences, tell us what inspired you to create and/or operate this particular business: The need for cleaner life and the knowledge that we need to change the way we do things. I was very tired of bringing home goods into my home that smell my house of chemicals and unpleasant odors. Too many single use plastics being used, too many disposable goods that are not ecofriendly.
I created the store to be an alternate to the big store, low quality goods that have become ubiquitous. I also want to support artists. This is an exceptionally difficult time for them and if we can showcase individual artists work, we can help people in a direct way. Another part of our store is plants. We have 2 – 14’ live walls. We visually show you how to clean your indoor air from chemicals like Formaldehydes, Benzenes and Phthalates to name a few. Now, more than ever before we are spending more time in our homes. We are going into winter where we will be in the house even more. It is a perfect time to build a purification system naturally by bringing greenery into your home. We would like to show all the different ways you can do that.
My former life was a scientist working with viruses in biotechnology and then finding cancer or other pathologic processes in human cells. I walked into a door every day that had a large sign “Cancer Hazard”. I worked with chemicals that cause cancer in humans down the road, to diagnose cancer that someone is seeking medical treatment for. We have created a cancer loop. Those chemicals will one day, end up in our water, our food, our bodies. Many of those same chemicals are used in our furniture, our clothes, our home goods and eventually in our bodies. I think we need to think differently and my goal is to offer home goods that won’t create indoor air pollution when they are brought in your home and pose ecological hazards when they have been disposed of. We also carry one of kind, handmade furniture, one of a kind fine jewelry, art, and home goods so with every purchase you are supporting an individual and their families. We have also teamed up with a charity that plants a tree for every purchase and we have decided to donate our trees to California for the re-forestation of the fire scorched forests and wild spaces.
My ultimate goal is to develop a foundation to green up Milwaukee by creating a fund that will pay for leases on unused city spaces that we can create beautiful places to grow food for people with food insecurity where you can get fruits and vegetables for free. I know I can get people to donate their time once a month to maintain the gardens throughout the growing season. These places would not just be gardens, they would be places communities could gather. My vision is that these would be more like parks but with fruits, vegetables and flowers.
