We are sorry to report that Ecolicious is no longer in business. Ecolicious – Charlotte, NC’s Most Environmentally Friendly Market Is Locally Sourced!

by Danielle Bussone

In one of the cutest little houses located in the heart of Charlotte is a general store like no other. From its humble beginning as a few shelves containing only a few items, housed within another business, Ecolicious has come into its own. “We came about just over three years ago,” says Ecolicous founder, Marley Claridge.  “My former partner and I saw a need in Charlotte for a place to buy vegan things. We started out with just a few items on a few shelves. Then people kind of took to it. I wanted to make it larger, and nicer, with more of a boutique feel to it. More than just a convenient store look.”

Ecolicious Exterior

Marley has done just that. After her early partnership dissolved, she joined up with long time friend,  Fiona Humphrey,  who had previously worked in finance. Fiona had planned to sell her house and move to Oregon. As luck, or fate, would have it, the market crashed and selling her home was no longer an option. The opportunity to partner with Marley presented itself and the rest is Ecolicous history. The two share a vision for the company which has continued to foster a relationship with the community and an awareness of how our purchasing decisions impact our lives, the lives of innocent animals and the health of our planet. Buying locally affects our carbon footprint as well, which is a credo for the fledgeling business.

Ecolicious Owners Marley and Fiona (left to right)

Marley also runs a housecleaning business and utilizes only green products in her business. As vegans, Marley and Fiona were frustrated by having to order vegan products on line, products they couldn’t examine before ordering. They looked at other large cities and were astonished at the wealth of stores offering these kinds of products and realized what they were missing in their own “big little city of Charlotte.”

Dry Goods

Marley began Ecolicious with the notion of creating a place for local venders to sell their wares. Everything in the store is vegan, environmentally friendly, cruelty-free, and created with sustainable practices. Many of the items in the store are sourced from local artisans.

Fiona and Interior

Ecolicious carries vegan food items, refrigerated and dry goods, gift items and products crucial to running a green household.  “We have a line of scented soy candles which are very popular. They are made a couple blocks from here,” Marley explains. “Soy wax is cleaner burning, lasts a long time and burns all the way down unlike traditional wax candles. We carry them in two different containers, a clear glass and recycled wine bottles, which is really nice. We also offer custom fillings, we can fill any vessel you can bring in. Pam Mahaffey makes the candles. She is really great in working with scents and changes them seasonally.”

Earth Friendly Mason Jar Drinking Lids and Straws

“We do have some grab and go meals made here in town, offered by a company called Nourish, which are locally sourced,” explains Marley. “They have delivery and home delivery. Their food is non-GMO, organic and gluten-free. Beverly’s Gourmet is also a line of food products we carry, which is locally made. She isn’t as heavy on the non-GMO and gluten free but she does have an awareness of it. All of her packages are labeled as such. We carry generally specialty vegan products, which are hard to find elsewhere. Vegan caviar, vegan white chocolate, things that you can’t find even in the nicer health food stores, nut cheeses and all sorts of products.”

Ecolicious Food Items

Marley and Fiona are working hard to create an on-line presence.  In today’s market, it will be another opportunity to grow and to spread the word that food, gifts and clothing can be high quality without the needless suffering of animals.  Continuing the thread of spreading the word, Marley is a co-founder of Charlotte’s first vegetarian festival. This will be its third year and it is growing leaps and bounds. To learn more on this year’s upcoming festival, which will be held on May 17th,  click on Charlotte VegFest. We’ll certainly be one of the hundreds in attendance. Hope to see you there!

Co-founder and editor of Veggin’ Out and About, Danielle writes restaurant reviews, profiles and interviews of people making a difference in the plant-based community. She is currently writing a cookbook for vegans called, “Time For Change: Whole Foods For Whole Health.”

Danielle’s region is SW Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina and anywhere she happens to stop for sustenance along the road. Contact Danielle  directly to share your restaurant finds, to make comments or just to say hello.