West Elm is celebrating the growth of its Local program with two initiatives dedicated to its support of local craft and building communities.
The retailer recently hosted its second annual “Local Showcase,” calling upon local furniture makers and designers to submit their products for consideration in their store’s Local assortment. West Elm also broadened its support of local artists to include musicians, singers and bands with its new concert series “Celebrate Local,” bringing live music experiences to 12 West Elm locations across the U.S. beginning in June.
The 2017 “Local Showcase” will focus exclusively on discovering local furniture makers and designers to expand West Elm’s selection of locally produced furniture products such as side tables, benches, coffee tables and more. West Elm locations invited select makers from online submissions to share their stories and products for a chance to join the assortment and participate in future pop-up events.
“The West Elm Local program sets out to celebrate local craft and build mutually beneficial relationships between our stores and local makers,” said Mo Mullen, director of West Elm Local. “We are excited to bring Local to life in a more impactful way with an expanded local furniture assortment and our live in-store concert series. Together, these local experiences allow us to connect shoppers with the artists behind the craft and grow our Local network of more than 800 artisans and designers.”