Living Above the Store

The economic crash of late 2008 is just the latest evidence of the truth that many have known for so long: that too much of our modern economy is based on a house of cards. We need businesses that not only factor their impact on people and places into their equations for success but also strive to restore the communities and environments in which they operate. How can this be done?

In Living above the Store, Martin Melaver provides a roadmap for creating such a business. He challenges business owners and managers to move beyond business as usual and create real change.

Living above the Store brings us into the story of Melaver, Inc., a third-generation, seventy-year-old family real-estate business, as it evolves toward becoming a thought and product leader in sustainable business practices. It is part business-management theory and part case study, showing readers where sustainable principles meet sustainable practices on a day-to-day basis.

Living above the Store demonstrates how to:

• Adopt a business model that provides for economic success while contributing to society and the environment
• Shape a business culture that is restorative to a workforce by helping employees realize their highest potential
• Leverage an ethos within a business that “ripples outward” to foster restoration of both land and community
• Embrace a notion of limits to growth
• Reframe ideas about competition, proprietary knowledge, and business success

Living above the Store is for readers who want to learn more about how a socially responsible business can first redefine, and then find, success.

"Martin describes the evolution of his ideas and practices with refreshing candor and humility. He is a role model for me, my students, and anyone interested in building a values-based, sustainable business."  —John Vogel, Adjunct Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth