April Randolph, a former sea turtle biologist, shows off a silk Vera Wang wedding dress in her brand new Eco-Elegance consignment shop on Market Street in the Old Port. While the store offers a sleek, polished look, this isn't your typical bridal boutique. All the gowns are "pre-loved" (as April calls them), and the goal is to help local brides reduce wedding costs and then recycle wedding items after the big day has passed. As an example, this Vera Wang dress cost $5,000 new and is selling for $2,500 at Eco-Elegance.

A number of the gowns have never been worn. It's not that the weddings didn't happen, but rather reflects the trend of brides buying more than one dress before deciding (often just a day or two before the wedding) which one to wear. The other dresses, with tags still attached, can't be returned to the retailers where they came from, but they can be consigned to Eco-Elegance, where the bride will get 50% of the sales price.

For April, the switch from scientist to shop owner came when she realized she wanted to put her environmental values to use in a way that allowed her to interact more with people. So she swapped biology for ball gowns.

The shop also accepts bridesmaids gowns, mother of the bride dresses and general evening wear.

Oh yes, and there are shoes too. The only new items in the store are the lingerie pieces.

Another really cool feature of the shop is the section selling candles, cake cutters, flower baskets, napkins, centerpieces and other decor items. Many brides put hours and hours of time and significant amounts of cash into creating gorgeous decorations that are only enjoyed for a few fleeting hours. Now brides can recoup some of this time and money, and brides-to-be can get first rate decor for discounted prices.

No appointment is needed to come into the shop and try on dresses. Even though the atmosphere is laid back, the store's design and amenities are just as elegant as the name.

Eco-Elegance is located at 157 Middle St, near the entrance to Videoport & Bull Moose. It is open Wed-Sat 10 am-6 pm and Sun 1-6 pm. FMI call 828-4696.