As part of its commitment to celebrate local craft and forge strong relationships in its communities, home furnishings retailer West Elm invites makers and designers to submit their work for the company’s first ever LOCAL Showcase. This event provides a forum for makers to share their stories and present their products to their local West Elm store. Makers and designers can submit product proposals now through June 12 via westelmLOCALshowcase.eventbrite.com. All of West Elm’s 70+ North American stores, including Puerto Rico, will host a LOCAL Showcase.

“Our LOCAL Showcase provides a wonderful opportunity for us to meet talented makers and craftspeople in each of the communities we call home,” said Mo Mullen, Director of West Elm LOCAL. “We are excited about partnering with them and sharing their unique works with our West Elm customers.”

Each shopkeeper will evaluate online submissions to determine the makers and designers invited to participate in their store’s LOCAL Showcase later this month. Ultimately, each store will select the products added to their LOCAL assortments and future pop-up events. Products will be considered in nine categories: Giftable, Home Textiles, Kitchen Goods, Garden, Personal Care, Personal Items, Furniture, Decor, and Food. In addition to the product being offered, the maker and his or her story will also be factored in the evaluation process.

“Since we introduced LOCAL two years ago, we have seen an overwhelmingly positive response from the communities where our West Elm stores are located,” said Jim Brett, President of West Elm. “We are thrilled to offer our customers hand-picked, crafted products made by artists in their shops and studios and our store associates revel in connecting both audiences.”

The LOCAL Showcase event is the next step in West Elm’s “Communities Across America” campaign, which launched westelm.com/LOCAL, a digital experience that both connects customers with local makers and designers, and supports makers with a focused advice series called the “Makers Tool Kit.” Launched in 2013, West Elm LOCAL is now in all 70+ North American stores and features over 4,500 products from 500 makers and designers across the U.S.

Local makers who want to be considered for the LOCAL Showcase are encouraged to submit their work at westelmLOCALshowcase.eventbrite.com by Sunday, June 12.

About West Elm

West Elm helps customers express their personal style at home. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, the brand opened its first store in 2003 in DUMBO, the neighborhood it still proudly calls home. Everything West Elm does is designed to make an impact, from its commitment to Fair Trade Certified, local and handcrafted products to its community-driven in-store events and collaborations. Mixing clean lines, natural materials and handcrafted collections from the US and around the world, West Elm creates unique, affordable designs for modern living. The brand operates 87 retail stores in the United States, Australia, Canada and the UK, ships internationally to customers around the world and operates stores in Mexico, the Middle East and Philippines through unaffiliated franchisees. West Elm is part of an active community on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube, and is a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands.