A flurry of media, including the "Today Show" on July 21, celebrated the advent of a new company on the American retail scene with an unprecedented business concept and an unexpected address.

Bambeco.com, "Eco style for your home and life," launched its online retail store this year on Earth Day, April 22, and its immediate impact surprised even its co-founder, Susan Aplin. "We were inundated by press inquiries. They were fascinated with the company. The initial onslaught was overwhelming."

USA Today, Entrepreneur, Daily Candy, Apartment Therapy, Woman's Day and a host of other publications rushed to find out more about this company that is committed to coupling high style with green substance. Curiosity often increased when reporters noticed that the company is located in Moorefield, W.Va.

"A number of people from around the country seemed to marvel at an environmentally focused company locating in West Virginia," Aplin says. "We feel there is obviously a big misconception about the state. There's a different environmental side to West Virginia that many people don't know."

Happy accident

Aplin accidentally discovered the region that is now her home and location of her business. "I went to Lost River to hike and stay at a B&B in 2003. I looked around and just fell in love with the place." She had fallen in love with the business of retailing about 20 years before that, and she decided to consolidate her loves in one spot -- Hardy County.

Aplin and co-founder Carolyn Wapnick worked for a year on the business plan. Aplin has a finance, accounting and operations background and has held senior management positions with The Gap, Williams-Sonoma, Sports Authority and Staples. She has supervised mergers and acquisitions, developed and managed implementation of re-engineered merchandise, and has had her hand on the financial controls of major companies. She has lived and worked in Europe and in big U.S. cities, but she grew up in a small Georgia town.

"I'm accustomed to a small-town environment," she says. "I think this is such a terrific place, and there are such wonderful people here. In several respects we have a pretty decent economy, especially compared to other states. We love creating this new industry here."

First to tap green desire

Bambeco, whose name combines bamboo and ecology, is already bursting at its warehouse seams. Market research confirmed Aplin's idea that a substantial number of Americans want to live a more sustainable lifestyle. "You shouldn't have to sacrifice style to go green," she says. She felt a company that offered environmentally friendly, fashionable home products would fill a market gap, and apparently, she was right.

She is grateful she was able to hire a warehouse manager whose 20 years at UPS make for smooth shipping operations for the infant company. "We have a strong workforce here," she says, and she looks forward to substantially increasing company employment by the end of the year.

Phase I, in place now, offers a wide array of fashionable merchandise that Aplin has personally vetted to meet strict environmental standards. "There aren't always certifications for every aspect of every material across the industry, so we employ our own standards. We look at the sustainability of the product, whether it's recycled, reclaimed or reused. We look at the manufacturing process, and we have extensive conversations with manufacturers and suppliers before we sign them on.

"Then I basically go through a pretty typical process of looking at trends in fashion, listen to what people are talking about, thinking about, what the colors are, what the textures are, until we have a story of what's going on in the world. We're looking for products that tell a story with our distinctive bambeco style."

Stay tuned ...

What few have heard about yet is Phase II, Aplin's plan to expand using the region's scrap glass, wood and metal to create products in West Virginia that would normally go into landfills. "These industries produce a significant amount of waste. We intend to take the scrap and turn it into beautiful products branded with the bambeco name. Right now, 70 percent of what we sell is sourced from the United States. We're looking forward to sourcing a much higher percentage here in West Virginia."

Aplin recently traded in her leather briefcase for a retread, a briefcase from a line made of tires that have no less than 60,000 miles on them. "I carry a new bag that we sell, too," she gleefully reports. "You'd never know it came from recycled soda and water bottles. It's amazing what people are doing with trash."