communityspotlight
By Colleen Redman
G
eorge is a self-described “long time T-shirt designer
who has always wanted to change the world.” His
wife Rain, an organic gardener and environmental-
What happens when two socially
ist, ran a Meadows of Dan bakery and craft shop in the late
1980’s and early 90’s. While Rain was in Floyd working in
conscious people with backgrounds in
retail, as an owner and an employee, George was designing
and marketing rock-and-roll T-Shirts for a California mer-
business meet at a clothing trade show,
chandising company.
Today the couple employs two full-time and various part-
fall in love and pool their talents? The
time employees at their West Oxford Street warehouse and
outlet store, which is within walking distance of downtown
answer is Green Label Organic
Floyd. From the warehouse, they ship their organic cotton
T-shirts and tops imprinted with messages such as Support Lo-
Sustainable Threads, the family
cal, Save What’s Left, and Live Simply to 500 stores around the
country. This includes national chains such as Whole Foods
business of George and Rain Lipson that
and REI as well as military PX stores throughout the world.
Rain explains their preference for organic cotton. “It
wholesales and retails 100% organic
takes approximately 1/3 of a pound of pesticides, herbicides,
and defoliants to grow enough cotton to make just one
cotton clothing with a message.
conventional cotton T-shirt.” Being organic is important, but
16
Southwestern Virginia
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