Norwalk’s Brad Kerner: From ‘Eco Dude’ to entrepreneur

It started with an Instagram page. Brad Kerner began the.eco.dude in December 2019 to document his efforts to live a more sustainable life. Kerner was making a serious attempt to reduce his carbon footprint and environmental impact, but the page was supposed to be primarily for fun.

Covid-19 transformed his personal quest into a career. When the pandemic started, his 15-year tenure with the nonprofit Save the Children, which involved weeks of overseas travel every other month, came grinding to a halt. With travel impossible due to lockdowns and disruptions, Kerner found himself spending more time cutting plastic out of his consumption habits and posting his thoughts on the eco-friendly replacements to Instagram.

Thousands of other people, also stuck at home and spending their lockdowns online took notice. His new account began attracting hundreds of new followers every month, and currently has more than 3,600.

“I wouldn ‘t call myself an influencer yet, ” Kerner said. “People who follow me are interested in what I have to say about going low waste, and I think it ‘s because I took a different spin. I found that most people who care about domestic issues are women and going low waste in the home has always been a women ‘s space. I ‘ve been trying to flip the script on that a little bit by saying ‘Look, we ‘re in a global climate crisis. This has to be everyone ‘s responsibility. ‘ ”

Kerner managed to go entirely plastic free over the course of 2020, and he found himself wanting to evangelize further.

“After I was online being the Eco Dude and everyone started following me, I said, ‘maybe I could go to a local farmer ‘s market to spread the word, ‘ ” Kerner recalled.

He set up a table with a simple sign reading “Ask Me How I Went Plastic Free, ” which now adorns the wall of a shop that became his retail business Eco Evolution.

Kerner said that people at the markets found it weird that he wasn ‘t selling anything, so he started bringing the products that enabled him to ditch plastic with him to demonstrate them and realized just how in demand they were. In the process he got to know the community of other merchants at farmers markets, who now make up the artist ‘s co-op that produces some of the bespoke items sold at Eco Evolution.

Realizing that he could save other people the time he had spent researching and sourcing eco-friendly products, Kerner decided to enter a contest.

“The landlord did a competition for retail entrepreneurs who never owned a retail store, ” Kerner said. “Thirty people applied and I won. “ 

Kerner became the new tenant at 135 Washington street, a prime storefront in the heart of south Norwalk with no rent for June or July.

“It was great for a few reasons, ” Kerner said of the location. “I studied the block and I noticed that the restaurants don ‘t open until three and there ‘s like 15 of them on the block, but they stay open very late. This is heavily a night street, particularly in summer. ”

Kerner built his day around the restaurants hours to maximize foot traffic during operating hours throughout the summer, and instituted more traditional winter hours when the cold weather set in. Still refining his plans, Kerner said he was committed to making the store work. He signed a five-year lease and has gone all-in on providing a store that serves the community.

“I didn ‘t want to be a boutique, ” Kerner said while showcasing the stores diverse offerings, “Which is what most retail low-waste shops are. I didn ‘t want to offer just one deodorant, I wanted people to have choice. That ‘s expensive and more risk for me but I want it to feel more like a CVS. ”

Kerner also applied strict rules to ensuring that nothing in the store is “greenwashed. ” The vintage items are all sourced locally, and he has committed to ensuring 80% of his products are sourced from within an eight-hour drive.

Some products that Kerner carries are not available on the East Coast, and he prides himself on discovering unexpected local businesses to work with. For instance, Eco-Evolution ‘s dog section features treats from Woofgang & Co., a nonprofit based in Fairfield centered around empowering adults with disabilities. Eco Evolution is also one of the few retail stores to sell Kengos, a plant-based shoe line produced by a Brooklyn-based company.

Kerner is seeking to further integrate Eco Evolution into the community by serving coffee and pastries in a relaxed atmosphere in the back of the shop.

“It ‘s going to be called the green room. Get it? ” Kerner joked as he explained the plan to convert the space and install a coffee bar. “It ‘ll be the most eco-friendly coffee shop ever. ”

While Kerner has confidence in his business plan and ambitions, he admitted that he is a newcomer to the field of retail.

“I ‘m looking for mentors, ” he noted. “Put that in there. “