Written by Amy ScaliaÂ
Comfort for Good. That’s something we really believe in here at UpWest. It’s our motto, lifestyle and purpose. It guides our way and fuels our passion to positively impact people and planet.
When you go UpWest with us, you’ll find clothes that wrap you in comfort, home essentials that surround you with calm, and wellness products that give you balance. But it’s not just about the things. It’s about the feeling you get. It’s a comforting community where you can grow, learn, and thrive as the best version of yourself.
A couple years ago, UpWest started as a purpose-driven online community, full of articles, guides and featured finds to help others bring more comfort and good into their lives. This community began to grow, so we coordinated the UpWest Cabin mobile tour across the country — visiting Columbus, Chicago, Nashville, Austin and Denver — to connect with our growing group in real life.
Then, this year, we began to discover an even deeper connection with the community by opening seven brick-and-mortar stores nationwide, with hopefully more to come soon. For us, though, it’s not just about opening lots of new stores. It’s about becoming part of a giving and caring community. Comfort for Good.
We thoughtfully selected each of our first, seven locations, as well as the unique, locally-rooted charities that each store supports. For the opening weekend for each store, UpWest donated 100% of proceeds to each non-profit. Plus, for every email sign-up received in store, UpWest donated $1 (up to $5,000). The partnerships didn’t stop after opening weekend. The partnership continues and grows as UpWest plans to host ongoing giveback days where a portion of sales will be donated to the store’s nonprofit.
In Columbus, Comfort Through Coffee
Our Columbus, OH store at Easton Town Center partnered with Roosevelt Coffeehouse, a 501(c)(3) organization that works to offset the local and global injustices of unclean water, hunger, and human trafficking. This store sells a special UpWest blend of coffee from Roosevelt Coffee Roasters and also offers drip coffees to-go, with proceeds benefitting Roosevelt Coffeehouse.
Texas Sized Generosity in Austin
The Austin, TX store teamed up with I Live Here I Give Here. This non-profit is on a mission to make Central Texas the most generous community in the nation, coordinating initiatives like Amplify Austin, which has raised more than $57 million for hundreds of Central Texas nonprofits over the past seven years.
Bringing Health to the Bay, in San Francisco
Our Corte Madera, CA store is partnering up with Save The Bay, the largest regional organization working to protect and restore San Francisco Bay for people and wildlife. For more than 60 years, they’ve been advocates for improving the health and safety of the Bay against threats from climate change and pollution, restoring crucial wetlands, and connecting people of all ages to the Bay shoreline.
Planting in Portland
Friends of Trees is the charity partner for our Portland, OR store. This non-profit organization inspires people to improve the world around them through a simple solution: planting trees together. Since 1989, Friends of Trees has planted 870,000+ trees and native shrubs in neighborhoods, parks and natural areas throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Community in Chicago’s Lincoln Park
Both of our Chicago, IL, UpWest stores have joined forces with Lincoln Park Community Services (LPCS). This non-profit brings communities together to empower individuals facing homelessness and poverty to secure stable housing and make sustainable life changes. Founded in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood in 1985, LPCS has grown from a seasonal overnight shelter to a year-round, multi-site operation housing 120 individuals facing homelessness each night.
Paying Food Forward in Denver
In Denver, CO, We Don’t Waste is the selected charity. We Don’t Waste works to reduce hunger and food waste in the Denver area by recovering quality, unused food from the food industry and delivering it to nonprofit partners, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, daycares and more. By recovering good food that would otherwise go to waste, they’re able to feed the community instead. They envision a future where good food won’t be wasted and negatively impact the environment, where food-insecure families and individuals can thrive without worrying about where their next meal will come from, and where excess food has an easy, direct line to communities in need.
When seeking these partnerships, we looked for like-minded organizations. Those that care about and are making a difference for people and the planet. Charities bringing comfort and goodness to those who need it most. So, when you shop online or in-store, you can find comfort in knowing you’re part of a growing, and impactful, Comfort for Good community.