West Elm’s New ‘Local' Launch Connects Customers to Regional Craftmanship

March 14, 2018  by Jane Chero in Advertising, Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

The new offering allows customers to engage with artists and makers and come away with a new skill or knowledge that reflects local culture and craft.

Experiences will launch in five cities and went on sale yesterday on WestElm.com.

The program builds upon the success of West Elm Local launched in 2013, which provides more than 1,000 makers, designers, and artists an opportunity to sell their work at West Elm stores in their community. West Elm Local products are found at more than 100 West Elm stores, showcasing more than 8,000 products as well as a limited assortment of the ”Best of Local” available on WestElm.com/LOCAL.

 “The success of our West Elm LOCAL program, coupled with our customers’ interest in engaging experiences, inspired us to further invest in creative entrepreneurs and local communities,” said Mo Mullen, vice president of business development at West Elm.

“We are adding a new depth to the program by offering authentic, curated experiences with our artisan partners that match their talents with our customers’ affinities. These interactive opportunities offer a personal, human connection to a destination city or hometown delivered through the creative lens of a local artist,” Mullen said.

Customers can purchase a West Elm Local Experience with one of five Local makers in select markets, including Austin, Brooklyn, Charleston, S.C., Detroit and Savannah. Costs per session start at $130 and sessions are scheduled to run in each market from April through May 2018.

The experiences range from a metalworking workshop with a master welder in Austin to an indigo dyeing workshop in a Brooklyn artist’s studio.

Local Experiences include:

• Art Welding with Jack Sanders at his metal work studio with campfire happy hour and live music in Austin, Texas
• Natural Indigo Dyeing with Shira Entis conducting an intimate natural fiber indigo dyeing workshop in the artist’s Brooklyn, N.Y. studio
• Draw Charleston with Raven Roxanne and join an artist-led sketch session and hidden gems walk in historic Charleston, S.C.
• Cutting + Tasting Trays with Andre Sandifer + Abir Ali hosted at a fire station turned furniture design studio in Detroit.
• Punch Needle Textiles with Pamela Wiley during a workshop to create a hand-tufted textile composition in Savannah, Ga.

In celebration of the launch of West Elm Local Experiences, West Elm is partnering with Local artist Raven Roxanne and AFAR Magazine, and will give away an art and design-inspired weekend getaway to Charleston. The winner will receive two nights at the elegant Zero George Hotel, flight vouchers, a private city tour and products by Raven Roxanne, plus a two-year subscription to AFAR Travel Magazine in addition to a West Elm gift card.

Beginning March 15, you can enter the sweepstakes at www.WestElm.com/LOCALexperiences.

The launch of the West Elm Local Experiences program coincides with the summer catalog arriving in customer mailboxes on March 20.