Commitment to Sustainability, Community: Porto Named "Retail Star" by Home Accents Today Magazine

Raleigh, NC, April 23, 2008 --(PR.com)-- When Home Accents Today magazine announced its “50 Retail Stars” recently, Porto of Raleigh and Chapel Hill was among them.

Home Accents Today is a premier trade magazine for the home accents industry. The editors’ annual list recognizes enterprising retailers who are experiencing success in their respective markets with innovative strategies and creative merchandising while maintaining a strong presence in their communities.

Members of the home furnishings industry were invited to recommend independent retailers for the honor. The list was compiled and narrowed down by research analysts and editors of the publication.

"Porto caught the eye of our editorial staff last fall when we ran a special issue on green products and sustainable manufacturing in the home furnishings industry," said Susan Clinard Dickenson, retail editor. "Not only have owners Emily Barrett and Michael Perry demonstrated their commitment to the movement as founding members of the Sustainable Furniture Council, but when we needed a theme-appropriate photo for the cover of that issue, we found it in Porto's elegant interior vignettes.

"We're also aware of their fundraising efforts on behalf of Habitat for Humanity/Wake County," she added, "demonstrative of the community connection that many of our successful retail stars are finding to be a key component of their success."

Porto recently announced its 2008 Habitat/Wake County fundraiser, which will be held October 10 in the Raleigh showroom in North Hills. Leading up to that evening, over 50 Triangle area artists are “recycling” old chairs from Habitat/Wake’s ReStore into original, one-of-kind works of art inspired by the store’s slogan “Going Green Just Got Elegant.” The chairs-turned-art will be auctioned during the gala in-store event. Porto’s last Habitat/Wake event raised over $14,000.

The “50 Retail Stars” feature is published in the May 2008 issue of Home Accents Today and can be viewed, beginning in mid-May, on the magazine's website: www.homeaccentstoday.com.

Porto, located in Raleigh’s North Hills and Chapel Hill’s Eastgate Shopping Center, features only high-end, hand-crafted, eco-friendly home furnishings manufactured through sustainable forestry practices and devoid of content and finishes that are harmful to the environment. For more information, visit www.portohome.com.

###