May 1, 2012
Urban Elements to Provide Design and Gifts to Newburyport
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
SALEM, MASS - Originally established in 2007, Urban Elements specializes in high quality home furnishings and d�cor as well unique gifts and housewares. The retailer attracts customers from throughout the North Shore and across the country via its online store. It has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Wicked Local Reader's Choice Award in two categories in 2011.
Urban Elements, located at 83 Washington Street in Salem, Massachusetts, will open its second location in Newburyport in May of this year. The expansion comes less than a year since the downtown business moved into its current location, more than tripling the size of its showroom.
Bucking economic trends by outgrowing its previous location and expanding into Newburyport is attributed by the owners to a combination of quality and value. "Rather than just retailing products, we put a lot of energy into creating a positive and happy shopping experience for our customers and clients." says Kim Tenenbaum, the store's co-owner.
"We are another small business which proves that a downtown retail district can be sustainable and are confident that Newburyport will be just as welcoming and as successful as our Salem location," she adds.
The new store, which is set to open on May 2, is located at 20 Pleasant Street in Newburyport's downtown business district and will be open seven days a week.
Initially, Tenenbaum and business partner Tye Burrell explored Provincetown for their second location but cite intuition as leading them to expand in Newburyport. "We have been going there on the weekends and fell in love with the town," they say.
Their passion for their work extends outside the boundaries of the business. "We are very involved in the community. One example is a very successful program we initiated where for every piece of furniture sold five trees get planted in the US. Our philosophy of giving back will also be an integral part of our new location," says Tenenbaum.
Life and business partners Kim Tenenbaum and Tye Burrell both live in Salem. Burrell also runs Sankofa Massage & Bodywork, a full service massage studio out of the store's Salem location.
LINK: Urban Elements
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
