The Green Door
retail store
Lafayette, Indiana

The Green Door is located in the historical district of downtown Lafayette, Indiana, at 834 Main St. The shop offers beautiful decorating possibilities for every room in your home and one-of-a-kind gift ideas.

Owners Karyl and Dick Traeger strive to keep the shop filled with classic, traditional and timeless items. Whether it is the newest addition from the hand-painted collection of Gail Pittman pottery, Thymes fragrances or quality antique furniture, there is something to complement everyone’s style.

The staff offers one-of-a-kind attention and service, including several innovations, such as antique searches, a wish-list database and interior design consulting.

The Traegers began their business in November, 1998, on a whim. They had just visited a nice store in another community, which gave them the inspiration to start their own. For two years they rented space at 634 Main St. In 2000, they purchased the former Stallard Pharmacy at 834 Main St., which they restored through the Indiana Main Street program. In 2003, they expanded into the adjacent building.

The Green Door has grown continuously since, and Karyl continues to refer back to the information she received from the Greater Lafayette SBDC and its Entrepreneurship Academy.

“The SBDC and the Entrepreneurship Academy enabled me to really look to the future of The Green Door,” she says. “They were the beginning of what has now turned into a new advertising strategy developed with the help of the John Schallert Boot Camp. The Academy reinforced the fact that businesses need to constantly change. We are constantly moving and rearranging our products to stay fresh, and our customers expect an ever-changing and unique product line.”

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Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of Indiana, and our many local partners. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance by calling your local SBDC.