Jennifer Gatz Fowler/Co-Owner

Jennifer Fowler calls her business, which opened on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2008, a "conscious boutique." "Our mission at Noelie Harmon is to provide the community with extraordinary, safe products that are uniquely designed and made with consciousness." Among the boutique's diverse offerings are organic, all-cotton baby clothes; recycled cowboy boots; bamboo kitchen items; purses made from vintage leather jackets; and handmade lead free clay cookware. "Small businesses have an obligation to the consumer to provide quality products and treat the consumer in a socially responsible manner."

Each product's background and designer have been carefully researched, and the owners try to meet the person responsible for creating the product. "We firmly believe that every product must have a story to go with it." Consumers should also have the satisfaction of knowing their purchase has helped another human being. The shop stocks Tom's Shoes which donates a pair of shoes to poor children for every pair purchased. Under the Nile, which produces the organic cotton baby toys sold in the store, conducts the "13 Villages Project" providing vocational training and infrastructural development to thirteen rural villages in Egypt.

Noelie Harmon is a member of One Percent for the Planet, a growing global movement of companies which donate one percent of their sales to a network of environmental organizations worldwide. Fowler and her partner are especially interested in charities that contribute to wetland conservation, water conservation, and tree planting. Believing in giving back to the community, the women also donate their free time to local charities such as American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club, Capital Area United Way, and LSU Museum of Art.

Fowler is co-owner of the store with Amy Strother. They named the business to honor their grandmothers--Noelie Barnett and Margaret Harmon Johnson. The Green Building Shop, which is run by Fowler, Strother and two partners, is located in a corner of Noelie Harmon. It is Baton Rouge's new one stop shop for green building materials and consulting expertise. The shop carries products such as Eco Timber flooring, VOC free paint, PaperStone countertops, denim and sugar cane insulation.

A native of Baton Rouge, Fowler attended Tulane to earn an MBA. After living in New Orleans and New York for the last ten years, she has returned to Baton Rouge to participate in the city's growth. She feels Baton Rouge needs to work to attract young entrepreneurs and encourage graduates to stay in Louisiana. She recognizes the important role small and local businesses play in the community. Her advice to others who want to start a business is to find something you are passionate about and something that is missing in the market. "A good business plan involves doing your homework, visiting other stores like the one you plan to open, being receptive to feedback and willing to change as needed."

Fowler's reading habits reflect her interests in business and the environment. She is currently reading Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded which calls for a green energy revolution. She also enjoys the business magazine Fast Company which focuses on innovation, technology, change management, leadership and social responsibility.

According to Fowler, the biggest challenge she faces with her business is enlightening the public about her products. She has made a "conscious" decision to only carry goods that fit these categories—eco-friendly, socially responsible, fair trade or local artisan (see her website for definitions.) Before opening the boutique, she had worked as a Sustainability Consultant showing businesses how being environmentally and socially responsible could affect their bottom line. She brings this expertise to Noelie Harmon, educating her customers about integrating sustainability into their daily lives.

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