The Great Recession has changed a lot of ways we conduct business. Big box stores have been crumbling one by one. We have come to understand that the sluggishness of the economy just might be the new normal. One example being on how businesses are evolving and adapting can be seen in the ingenuity, freshness and new approach some entrepreneurs have been taking.

An inspiring story comes from Tracy DiNunzio, the Founder of Recycled Bride. In the late 2000’s her and her then husband shared the idea of owning a business. Since they were newlyweds and all the stress and chaos of planning a wedding fresh in their memories, they founded a company around weddings.

Nothing new or original about that. What is different is how she went about it. Their research showed that 2.5 million weddings are held in the U.S. every year, and 72 billion dollars are spent on those. Tracy and her husband thought that was a lot of money for items that only were going to be used for one day. Their idea is to reduce the carbon footprint while maximizing the budget. She took to the Internet and created a free marketplace for all those eco-savvy brides where they can recycle everything themed “Wedding Day”. A buyer can find Designer gowns for 50-90% less. Bridesmaid’s dresses, shoes, accessories and table decoration are listed on her site as well – and all for a fraction of the original cost.

Buyers and Sellers use the service for free, no listing fee or commission. Sure, you can take to Craigslist and find everything right there, however, it seems daunting to do and the ad (if selling) expires after 7 days. Her service narrows down the field a lot and yet it reaches a global bridal audience.

Since her creation of Recycled Bride she has launched several more companies, one called “RecycledTyke”, RecycledMedia,Inc., “RecycledStyle” and “RecycledProm”, and all are promising to be as successful as the first. This is a creative way of using the Internet to connect with people while having a profitable business.