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GADGET OF THE MONTH: UPDATE: Sponsored by APPLIANCES & SMALLELECTRICS GRILLBOT BANNEX SEE PAGE 22 SEE PAGE 9 SEE PAGE 18 K ITCHENWARE NEWS H o u s e w, a r e s R e v i e w S E RV I N G K I T C H E N WA R E VOLUME 20,1NUMBER 1 10 VOL UME 9, N UMBER JANUARY 2014 n $7.00 APPLIANCES & SMALL ELECTRICS n PAGE 9 THE KNIFE RACK n PAGE 14 HOME DÉCOR n PAGE 16 GIFTWARE n PAGE 18 NEW PRODUCTS n PAGE 19 GADGET OF THE MONTH n Grillbot PAGE 22 News..............................................3 Ad Index .......................................22 www.kitchenwarenews.com H O M E D E C O R A N D G I F T WA R E M A R K E T S Home Décor Suppliers Spotlight Fair Trade, Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Products BY DONNA BOYLE SCHWARTZ Home décor suppliers are doing well by doing good, enjoying increased sales on products that are sustainable, eco-friendly and produced under Fair Trade guidelines. These suppliers are serving a growing cadre of retailers who make purchases not simply based on dollars and cents or returnon-investment, but also based on the moral and ethical considerations of the ultimate consumer. There are several broad categories that fall under the corporate good citizenship banner: sustainable products typically are created using renewable resources; eco-friendly or "green" products often use organic components, recycled content or repurposed vintage materials; the term "artisanal" generally refers to products that are handmade or hand-finished; and Fair Trade merchandise is manufactured in accordance with international standards to guarantee workers a living wage, health care and safe working conditions. A wide variety of new home décor items that fit into these categories are being introduced in January at the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, as well as at NY NOW in New York, the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, and Las Vegas Winter Market. "Consumers have been better educated on how their purchases affect the larger world around them as well as their own home environment," noted Shay Elder, Co-owner, Eangee Home Design. "There are a number of reasons driving the increase in sustainable and Fair Trade products. First, I think that these products tend to be higher quality. My experience in talking to clients is that, postrecession, people are more careful With the explosion of interest in entertaining at home, and particularly in entertaining in and around the kitchen, more retailers are looking for products to offer their customers who are interested in making their kitchens a place to show off their design and artistic sensibilities. Textiles are a way to make that kind of statement relatively inexpensively and without a sacrifice of valuable counter space. And just as retailers are interested in offering their customers the products that meet those needs, so the artisans at NY Now are eager to offer those products to the retailers who will be flocking to New York in January to see the best of design-forward products for gifts and home. During your tour of NY Now, stop by booth #416 in the Galleria to see and touch the OMO kitchen towels from WOVEN PROMISES. These OMO towels are handwoven in Ethiopia of rich, soft yet durable Ethiopian cotton. These parabens, phthalates, gluten, synthetic fragrances and colors as well as nuts. "These are things that more and more kids and adults appear to have sensitivities to," says Babo Botanicals owner and CEO Kate Solomon. "We wanted to make the most hypoallergenic products on the market." The products are all dermatologist-tested, allergytested and tear-free. Continued on PAGE 18 Continued on PAGE 6 Continued on PAGE 6 absorbent towels come in stripes of natural color with either blue, gold, gray, tangerine, with a few new colors, including purple and turquoise, for the spring and summer of 2014. They are a generous 20" x 30" and are machine washable. Suggested retail price is $28. LinenMe is also offering some beautiful home textiles. The LinenMe Felt Placemat is a rustic-style placemat made from rough non-woven linen fabric. Continued on PAGE 7 Babo Botanicals Products Help Keep Baby Clean, Safe and Comfortable BY LORRIE BAUMANN Winter weather can be particularly tough on babies, whose skin is 70 percent thinner than adult skin and very susceptible to dehydration. Baby's skin needs to be moisturized frequently with products that do not strip natural oils from the skin. Products should allow the skin to breathe easily and be free of irritants that can cause allergic reactions. The Babo Botanicals products meet these requirements and are also all-natural, free of BY LORRIE BAUMANN Natural Products Expo West, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, in Anaheim, Calif., promises to present a wealth of housewares products designed for the eco-conscious consumer when the show opens for its three-day run with an additional day of educational programming next March, according to Show Director Adam Andersen. "We have a whole natural living section which has grown significantly in the past few years," he says. "There are always innovative products for the home, including yoga mats, water bottles, cleaning products, cleaning appliances, juicers, air ionizers – you name it; it's there." The Expo has been growing rapidly over the past several years, reflecting both the growth of the natural products industry and its convergence with the mainstream market as a millennial generation of consumers who grew up with organic and natural products as their first option begins making its own buying decisions and as the baby boomer generation focuses on maintaining health and quality of life through its lifestyle choices. As a result, the Expo this year will occupy more floor space than ever before, expanding its booth space into both the Anaheim Arena, adjacent to the convention center, and into the convention center lobby as 100 new companies join the vendors exhibiting products at the show. "Growth in the natural products arena now requires it," Andersen says. Among the exhibitors on the show floor will be Kitchenware News & Housewares Review sister publication Gourmet News, the business magazine for the Textiles Take the Fore at NY Now BY LORRIE BAUMANN Natural Products Expo West Promises Food for the Spirit

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