EcoStyle Pavilion to expand for fall High Point Market

Party and map will extend the ‘green’ message

-- Casual Living, 9/24/2007 11:33:00 AM

The EcoStyle Pavilion, launched last spring as the first eco-friendly product showcase at any U.S. residential trade show, has expanded to 6,500 square feet for the fall High Point Market, Oct. 1-7.

The EcoStyle program at High Point Market, a cooperative effort between Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., and the Sustainable Furniture Council, consists of a product pavilion, a guide to “green” products at High Point Market, and a party to celebrate the importance of sustainability in the home furnishings industry.

The EcoStyle Pavilion will again be located on the top floor of the Suites at Market Square at the High Point Market. The pavilion will provide a centralized location for companies to showcase their eco-friendly products to buyers seeking sustainable home furnishings. Participants to date in the pavilion include Avangard Innovative, cmi - Colonial Mills, Inc., Directions East, Environment Furniture, Inc., Foamex International, From the Mountain, Harden Furniture Co., Prairie Rugs, Rainforest Alliance, South Cone Trading and Sustainable Furniture Council. Each company will demonstrate in its own way how style and sustainability can and do co-exist.

“The EcoStyle Pavilion is an important and growing feature of our Suites at Market Square building and the High Point Market in general,” said Karen Olson, vice president of marketing for MMPI. “More and more consumers are becoming aware of the importance of sustainability and are making lifestyle choices to minimize their impact on the environment. This consumer demand is driving more and more buyers at High Point Market to specifically seek out earth-friendly products.”
 
“We were thrilled when MMPI approached us before the last High Point Market to build the first eco-friendly home furnishings pavilion for the residential market,” said Gerry Cooklin, founder and CEO of South Cone Trading Company and president of the Sustainable Furniture Council. “The reaction we have had since then has been overwhelming, and we are looking forward to expanding our efforts at the fall High Point Market.”

“Since the spring High Point Market, our membership has grown from 43 members to 85 members,” added Susan Inglis, president of From the Mountain and treasurer of the Sustainable Furniture Council. “We truly feel we are reaching the industry in a substantive way and are building awareness for a critical issue facing us all.” 

MMPI and the Sustainable Furniture Council will again produce the EcoStyle Map to help buyers find green products at High Point Market. There will also be a party in the Century Courtyard in Market Square on Thursday, Oct. 5 to celebrate the importance of green in the residential home furnishings industry.

Retailers, such as Dennis Rose of Eclectic Home, expressed their excitement about the first program to guide buyers in sourcing eco-friendly products in the home furnishings industry. “I think it is great that Merchandise Mart Properties and the High Point Market are on the forefront of introducing this new category and bringing to light the importance of sustainability in the home furnishings industry,” Rose said. “And, organizing vendors in one area certainly makes it easier for buyers.”

High Point Market is the home for home furnishings, said Olson, and now it is also the home for “green” home furnishings as well.”

Buyers may shop the EcoStyle pavilion throughout the fall High Point Market.