Homeward Bound Awarded for Community Service, Arts Support

January 27, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on January 28, 2010

Homeward Bound, a West Hartford, Conn.-based home furnishings retailer, has been recognized for its outstanding community service with two awards.

The three-store Homeward Bound won a national Retailer Excellence Award for event-based community service from Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine; and the Arts in the Community award from the Danbury, Conn.-based Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance.

Both awards recognized Homeward Bound's commitment to the communities it serves through its support of local arts and organizations. While the support of the local community is crucial to the survival of small and medium-sized retailers, retailers must return the favor by supporting their communities.

Trip Rothschild, co-owner of Homeward Bound with his wife, Kathy Walsh, believes that supporting the arts is, "not only very satisfying but also good business for us. A community that supports unique and exciting retail businesses is also one in which the arts also flourish--and vice versa. More than ever in these difficult times, local businesses and local arts organizations need to deepen their collaborations to further their mutual interest in the economic and cultural health of their shared communities."

The Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance was inspired to establish its Arts in the Community to showcase programs and activities that may be viewed as models or best practices for other communities by Homeward Bound's commitment to supporting local organizations.

"We are so honored to be the first recipient of this award," Walsh said. "We believe that the arts can be a powerful and uplifting force in each community. We are especially proud of our work supporting young people's participation in the arts through scholarships, but also through exposure to some of the world-class artists who live in our local towns and that we showcase at the events we host."

The HVCA award followed earlier recognition Homeward Bound received from Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine.

A recent example of Homeward Bound€™s continuing community involvement was the first ever Bank Street Festival in New Milford, which transformed a charming New England street into a fair with music, dancing, performances, author readings, farm-to-market stands and a host of children's events. With the support of the town, all the street's businesses participated, making it a major event with over a thousand people attending.

"This was a fantastic event," Walsh said. "We brought famous artists, authors and fantastic programs like New Milford Hospital's Plow-to-Plate into our stores and onto the street. Even better, the community flooded the street and poured into the shops to see all the amazing happenings. This sort of goodwill always translates into long term increased sales above and beyond the sales associated with just the one event.

€œThese are activities I have always believed in ever since I was at Bloomingdale's, where hosting events was a way of life and helped create the great vibe that made Bloomies so successful. It was a great honor to receive these two awards."