Andrea Ridout getting the store ready. Photo courtesy of Gecko Hardware/Facebook

Andrea Ridout getting the store ready. Photo courtesy of Gecko Hardware/Facebook

Gecko Hardware, the first “green” hardware store in Dallas, is set to open Monday, April 22, in the Northlake shopping center. Gecko is a member of the True Value cooperative and will carry True Value hardware as well as eco-friendly products.

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I asked owner Andrea Ridout what makes Gecko Hardware environmentally friendly. “It’s a progression,” she says. “We prefer selling locally made products, if possible, then move to products made in America, such as Maze nails, which are made in Illinois from recycled materials.”

In addition to hardware, Gecko will sell locally grown plants and edibles, horse tacks and animal feed. Ridout wants to sell as many products from area crafters and vendors as possible. She says she would love to sell some locally made garden chairs or handmade pottery. Gecko will also have baby chicks for sale within the next couple weeks, just in time for the East Dallas chicken coop tour on May 5.

Gecko has a classroom space that Ridout wants to eventually open up for free community classes to be held by local residents with a passion for environmentally-related topics.

Ridout hopes that her concept will inspire other hardware stores.

“I don’t see Home Depot or Lowe’s as competitors. If more of my customers demand eco-friendly products, it could influence the big hardware companies to carry similar products, and that is my goal. I have the unique opportunity to hear what the community wants and order inventory accordingly. Home Depot can’t do that.”

Ridout was inspired to develop the eco-friendly hardware concept with partners Jennifer Stuart and Zach Montgomery after frequenting the White Rock Local Market. Ridout would regularly stop by the market after recording her Ask Andrea radio show in an office located near the Green Spot.

Once Ridout became acquainted with area farmers and crafters, she realized that Lake Highlands was a special community. Ridout wanted to develop an original business concept combining her new friends and her passion for hardware. She got her start in hardware when she developed and owned Hardware Plus in Garland. She sold the store, which specialized in restoration hardware, to Elliott’s Hardware back in 1996 after over a decade of business.

Visit Andrea Ridout and her friends at Gecko for their soft open on Earth Day, Monday April 22, between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The grand opening will be held May 17-19. Gecko Hardware is located at 10233 East Northwest Highway.