SAN FRANCISCO - Gay performer Antonio Biaggi is a man of many talents. The obvious ones are hardly hush-hush, since they've been on public display in Raging Stallion videos over the past year. Less obvious, however, are the mind and heart behind that amazing dick.
For the past nine months, Biaggi has been pouring his mind and heart into research and development on the earth-friendly front. Not content to make merely a personal commitment to social responsibility, he decided he wanted to influence others to do their part, as well.
On Sept. 20, his investment paid off and began paying forward when Biaggi's mainstream alter ego opened Eco Boutique in San Francisco's Castro District. The store, which offers a variety of earth-friendly products at affordable prices, also serves as an educational platform from which Biaggi reaches out to everyone from GLBT residents of the area to soccer moms and dads.
The educational aspect of the store is not a gimmick, Biaggi swears. It comes from something integral to his being. Prior to becoming one of the droolable studs in Raging Stallion's stable, Biaggi for 10 years served as a multi-lingual tour guide in his native Puerto Rico. The profession allowed him to use his education and training in history and culture to enrich tourists' experience.
"Not that many young people are interested in history and giving tours," he told GAYVN.com. "I was only in my 20s - the youngest professional tour guide ever - and I loved it."
Biaggi describes himself as a teacher at heart and said he hopes to inspire people who visit Eco Boutique in the same way he often inspired tourists to return to Puerto Rico or at least read more about the island after they left. These days, when he's not on the set of another Raging Stallion epic, he's leading "tours" of Eco Boutique and holding forth about how the products the store offers benefit the planet, usually in more than one way.
"People are just starting to understand the consequences of global warming and renewable resources," he said. "They are only starting to discover eco-friendly products that are budget-friendly, too. They're willing to pay a little more for eco-friendly goods, but not a lot, and what they're really interested in is why and how the products are eco-friendly."
For example, he said, most customers are flabbergasted to discover almost anything - from fishing rods to paper goods to personal hygiene products, sheets, towels and clothing - can be made from bamboo.
"It's one of the world's most perfect plants," he told GAYVN.com. "Bamboo grows faster than any other grass and produces 30 percent more oxygen than other grasses and trees."
A good deal of Biaggi's time is spent in educating the curious that not all eco-friendly products are artsy-craftsy.
"My boyfriend and I put in eight to 10 hours a day for nine months researching and going to green festivals in order to find sources for products that are chic and elegant," he said, attempting to lay to rest the notion that all "tree huggers" wear robes and sandals made of hemp, live in tents and eat nothing but tofu.
Much of what Eco Boutique offers is made from recycled materials and/or is recyclable itself, especially the everyday items, Biaggi noted. Still, the average observer wouldn't be able to tell that just by looking. And the selection is almost mind-boggling in its diversity. In addition to the expected organic cleansers, soaps, towels, candles and biodegradable trash bags, Eco Boutique also offers appliances, kitchen utensils, pillows, office supplies, dimmable light bulbs and home décor. A special section of the store is devoted to fine art crafted by hand from found and recycled materials.
One of the most popular items at the moment is stationery made from recycled elephant excrement, Biaggi said.
"Even my mom loves the elephant-poo paper," he said, adding that the store also will offer pando-poo paper beginning in December.
The customers aren't the only ones at Eco Boutique who are receiving an education, Biaggi noted. He's developed some surprising knowledge as well, he said. For example, he was surprised how quickly the store took off.
"It's been doing amazing," he said. "Our revenue for the first month was three times what we projected, even with the slow economy."
Another surprise was the type of customers Eco Boutique attracts.
"Seventy-five percent of our clients are young, straight couples with children," he told GAYVN.com. "I expected more people from the gay community, but only about 25 percent of our customers are gay, and most of the gay shoppers are lesbians. The gay boys aren't so interested in their carbon footprints."
The people who are interested in their impact on the planet return time and again, Biaggi said; few of the store's customers are one-time visitors. Part of the reason for that is because he tries to make shopping at Eco Boutique exciting.
"Customers find something different every time they come in," he said. "We bring in something new every month. Because it's a small store, we only have a few of each item, and when they're gone, we may not be able to get them again, at least for a while. We try to restock what sells well, but the candles, for example, take a month to make. I will do my best to get special requests for customers, though."
One of the special requests he's adding as a product category is pet supplies.
"People buy natural products for their pets and children before they'll buy them for themselves," he said. "We'll have pet toys, organic catnip, organic shampoo and other items next month.
"As a matter of fact, pet items are especially popular with gay men," he mused.
Despite the difficulty of finding some items and the expense he must incur to stock them, Biaggi said his goal is to keep prices as low as possible.
"I want to make responsibility as affordable as possible for everyone," he said. "This is not about making money. I want people to get earth-conscious."
He also wants to develop a devoted following, so that when he leaves the adult industry at the end of next year, he'll be able to devote himself full-time to the store and its mission.
"I never intended to be a porn star," he told GAYVN.com. "I dreamed about it, maybe, but when I decided to do it, I jumped into adult [in 2007] for just one year. Then I decided to stay one more year. When my second year is over, I'm going to retire and run the store full-time."
He's already planning that move. Biaggi said he plans to add an e-commerce component to the store's website in January 2009 and hopes to open a second Eco Boutique location next year.
Eco Boutique is open Tuesday through Sunday at 4035 18th St. and can be reached by phone at (415) 252-0898.
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