We didn't want to stay up all night, but I still think that's a huge untapped market.

People are going to think we're propeller-headed geeks, but it really cleared our thinking and made sure we didn't leave any stones unturned.

We used it to convince our family and friends we weren't crazy, that this wasn't just a whim.

We both felt it was OK for me to be in an industry that had a mixed track record with the environment as long as we voted with our dollars for green alternatives.

It turns out that there are a lot of people here in town who have moved out here from Arlington, Jamaica Plain, Somerville, Cambridge. They're first-time home buyers, young families who enjoyed seeing a store like this that reminded them of the towns they left.

A family from Boxborough that only eats organic and even mills their own grains comes in for organic chocolate. A couple from Stow that is building a straw-bale house comes in for magazines and other things.

But when you get to earth-friendly stationery and home decor, you have to do a lot of extrapolating. Based on the information we had, our thinking was that as people grow more aware and are more concerned about the things they put into and on their bodies, they might grow equally concerned about the things they surround themselves with in their homes.