West Elm launches local goods concept

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/23/2012 12:04:01 PM

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Home furnishings retailer West Elm has announced the launch of West Elm Market, a new format offering a "total home toolkit" in four key categories - kitchen, garden, care & repair and personal care - with a focus on functional design, local production and entrepreneurship
The first store, West Elm Market Brooklyn, will open Oct. 25 at 50 Washington St. in the same building as the brand's home office and first décor store. It will include a café and common area for community workshops, including a demonstration kitchen.
"We were inspired by the common sense shopkeeping of the classic general store to develop a collection of genuine and useful household goods that make even the most practical chore a little more enjoyable," said Jim Brett, president of West Elm.
Eight West Elm Market shop-in-shops will open in November in West Elm stores in Costa Mesa, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Nashville, New York City, Seattle and Toronto. The collection launched online today.
The collection includes:

• Live plants, herbs, seeds and Brooklyn Blend potting soil from Groundworks Gardens;
• West Elm-designed brooms and dusters manufactured by New York City Industries for the Blind;
• Brooklyn-based Common Good's 100% biodegradable and plant-based cleaning products with a West Elm signature sage scent;
• Sam's Natural handcrafted candles, soaps and lotions, using ingredients purchased solely from U.S. suppliers;
• Kitchen tools, cookware and an exclusive line of modern enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens and pans;
• A 2.5 quart saucepan from Brooklyn Coppersmiths, where every pot is the work of one coppersmith, one tinsmith and one ironsmith;
• Artisan pantry products chosen to represent the diverse food sheds of the country, with regional collections and themed assortments including "We're from Brooklyn," "Southern Comfort," "Helpful Houseguests" and "Get in the Spirit."