Green Depot shop

Mark Buller and Sarah Beatty with Jacob and Elizabeth at Green Depot’s Williamsburg location.

Photograph: Imogen Brown

The arrival of children has inspired more than a few NYC women to open their own businesses. Shari Misher Stenzler started Kidville in 2005 when her daughter was two; Carin van der Donk founded clothing shop Sons + Daughters in 2004 when she couldn’t find organic gear for her five-year-old son. And Sarah Beatty… Well, she just might win the Mother of Invention Award for an idea that emerged during her pregnancy.

It was late 2003 and Beatty was in the midst of a gut renovation of her Upper West Side apartment when she and her husband, Mark Buller, noticed that the new floor tiles were popping up—a possible sign of toxic mold. The tests came back negative, but the thought of an unsafe environment for her baby sent the mom-to-be into a purifying tizzy, searching the city for all kinds of natural products.

When she realized how hard it was to find organic building supplies, Beatty, a longtime TV executive, decided to start a company for this niche trade market. With her husband’s blessing (he’s the owner of MarJam Supply Company, a traditional building supply firm), Beatty established Green Depot, an eco-friendly materials supplier for contractors, in Williamsburg in 2005.

Although the firm wasn’t targeted to retail consumers, it didn’t take long for like-minded parents to discover the distribution center. “It was funny to see pregnant women coming down this industrial street in Williamsburg,” says Beatty. That’s when she knew it was time to take Green Depot mainstream. This month, Beatty—mom to Elizabeth, 4, and Jacob, 2—will open a location on the Bowery in the former home of the city’s original YMCA. While most of the space will carry green building supplies for the masses, the store will also house a 700-square-foot baby section complete with organic layette merchandise, cribs made from responsibly harvested wood, cork flooring (Beatty’s favorite), and BPA-free bottles and toys.

Beatty is betting that Family Air Care, an indoor allergy and mold test kit that retails for $349, will be a popular item for parents (the price includes the lab testing costs). The shop will also host events on topics like preparing a safe environment for your baby, and it will take back extra paint and unwanted tools so they don’t end up in a landfill.

“Being green means different things to different people, and we’re here to help demystify it,” says Beatty, who acknowledges that although plastic toys are a no-no in her home, plenty of people out there are greener than she is. Her staff, for instance. Beatty hired established eco-pros, who scientifically vet every product before it is approved for sale.

So, what does this toxic avenger find scary these days? “I’m on my way to a preschool interview,” she says. “I have to get myself together before I walk in.”

222 Bowery between Prince and Spring Sts (800-238-5008, greendepot.com)