West Elm makes itself at home in Alabama

Home furnishings retailer West Elm is opening a retail store in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Oct. 10 — it’s first ever location in the state.



The nearly 8,000-sq.ft. store located in the Summit Birmingham shopping center will feature the brand’s mix of furniture, home décor, gifts and artist collaborations. The store will also feature an assortment of local handcrafted products sourced through Etsy.com, including one-of-a-kind furniture, lighting, leather goods and wall art.



To celebrate the opening, West Elm collaborated with Birmingham artist Rachel West to create an exclusive tote bag that will be given away to the first 300 shoppers with a minimum purchase of $50. Customers that purchase a West Elm Gallery Frame will receive a complimentary print of Rachel’s Birmingham inspired design until supplies last.



“We are excited to open our first store in Alabama and support the local handcrafted community by featuring the work of Birmingham artisans in our store,” said Jim Brett, president of West Elm. “We recently made a two-year commitment to significantly increase the amount of handcrafted products we offer, and to roll out locally crafted assortments in all of our stores worldwide. Birmingham is in the first group of our stores to offer this assortment. ”



The Birmingham store will open with a preview of the brand’s holiday assortment, which includes décor and gifts in three diverse collections: Enchanted Forest, Snow Drift and New Heritage. At the time of the opening all dining furniture will be 15% off and select lighting pieces will be 20% off.



Additional store opening activities and events include a sweepstakes that offers Birmingham residents a chance to win a $2,000 gift card and an invitation to the opening celebration party taking place on the evening of October 9. The deadline to enter sweepstakes is Oct. 6, 2013.



The opening party will be catered Birmingham’s Hot & Hot Fish Club and a portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the city’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm.