Durham, it seems, has established itself as quite the little green-industry hotbed -- and not just for major developers.

A stroll downtown will lead you to a green kitchen-design firm, a green architect that specializes in residential properties, a green clothing boutique, and a number of reclaimed-materials depots. All locally owned. All environmentally conscious.

Even before it was cool to be eco-friendly, Durham was hip to the green scene. The Scrap Exchange has been around for 18 years, peddling fabric remnants, apothecary jars and other assorted used items. The farmers' market is coming up on its 10th anniversary. Buying local, using non-toxic materials and working with what we've got in terms of property and resources is said to have a mitigating effect on the negative impact of the environment. Durham, many say, has been ahead of the curve on environmental matters.

"Durham is hip," said Ryan Hurley of Vert & Vogue, a boutique that opened in Brightleaf Square Friday. Hurley and his wife Nadira brought their two children from New Jersey to open the area's first eco-conscious clothing store. He said they chose Durham because it's progressive and has a consciousness.

"It's the antithesis of the mall," he said.

Vert & Vogue is just the latest business to stake out a spot downtown, occupying an already existing building. If you're interested in greening-up your home, closet, pantry, yard, or simply want to craft without buying a bunch of new materials, downtown Durham is the place to go.

Here's a sampling.

COMMON GROUND: Green Building Center, Green Kitchen Design, 326 W. Geer St. (919) 688-1500, www.cgcgreen.com

Paul Toma and his wife Dawn Hintgen opened the eco-conscious kitchen design firm in February a few blocks from Durham Central Park in a part of town that is still home to many abandoned buildings. His experience as a carpenter, and her work as an organic gardener and kitchen designer helped bring the business to fruition. They knew the eco-friendly materials on the market, and how to work with them.

After raising a daughter who seemed "allergic to everything," Toma and Hintgen say, they had to incorporate as many natural and organic elements into their lives as possible. It helped that both were environmental activists.

Some materials they sell are toxin-free cabinetry made with water-based stains, zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, marmoleum flooring (linoleum minus the chemicals), countertops made from sunflower seed shells, and recycled glass tiles.

"The attitude when people come in here is fantastic," Toma said.

He said he and his wife fell in love with the city while visiting friends a few years ago.

They knew many in this area shared their ideals. So far, word of mouth has been all they've needed to get going.

PETERS DESIGN WORKS, 619 Foster St., (919) 682-5307, www.petersdesignworks.com

Stephen Peters left a career doing federal research on education to hawk old table legs, windows, doors, and just about any architectural details you can imagine nearly 10 years ago. He moved from the Venable Building to this warehouse a few years ago, and now operates out of two large bays.

"I'm into historic restoration," he said the other day, surrounded by aisle after aisle of corbels, tiles, fireplace mantles, iron gates, benches, banisters and clawfoot bathtubs.

You can buy the items outright, or he can refinish them to your liking. He has helped many people add authentic details to new additions and retrofitted old homes with their original accents.

CENTER STUDIO ARCHITECTURE, 339 W. Main St., Suite A, (919) 688-2700

The best way to build green, said Scott Harmon, founding architect of Center Studio Architecture, is to "make it dense" -- make it an infill project that utilizes the existing infrastructure. Expanding the urban growth boundary uses a lot more energy and resources than simply restoring an old property.

True to conviction, Harmon lives in a condo that's in a building his firm designed on an empty lot downtown. He even started his own developing company, Revamp, to help projects such as this be environmentally conscious all the way.

Some earth-friendly design features include using porous pavement for optimal drainage, passive solar positioning of windows to take full advantage of the sunlight during winter, and having shades on windows during the summer to keep cool. The firm also utilizes high-level insulation, low-VOC paints, and formaldehyde-free materials.

VERT & VOGUE, 905 W. Main St., suite 24-b, (919) 251-8537, www.vertandvogue.com

Ryan Hurley has always cared about the earth, spending time lobbying for environmental awareness and working for like-minded nonprofits before starting a career in publishing. When he met his wife Nadira, a French fashionista, it was only a matter of time before they put together a boutique that supported both their interests in promoting an environmentally-conscious, well-dressed world.

They hired Center Studio to design their shop using low-VOC paint, recycled steel clothing racks, bamboo cabinets (bamboo is a sustainable resource) and restoring the original concrete floor. An antique cabinet is from Peters Design Works, and the metal work is done by local artist Al Frega using materials left over from American Tobacco.

The shop's eco-conscious apparel includes clothing made from bamboo, hemp and recycled plastic. They carry designers that make new clothes from already-worn cashmere and leather, as well as shoes with soles made from recycled tires. They would love to carry clothing by local designers.

"We don't have anything in the store we wouldn't want to wear ourselves," Hurley stresses. He said they carry items anyone could afford - cotton tees start at $16.

DURHAM FARMERS' MARKET, 501 Foster St., (919) 667-3099, www.durhamfarmersmarket.com

The market has settled comfortably in its new home at the Pavilion in Durham Central Park, an area that just a few years ago was home to nothing more than vagrants and weeds. For a variety of locally grown organic produce, meats, cheeses, breads, as well as crafts, art and music, there is no better place to find goods that local hands have produced. It's open April through November, Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Winter hours will begin Dec. 6, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.