12/2/2008 10:25:01 AM

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By Dawn Schuett
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

CANNON FALLS -- Woods & Willow, a brand of home and garden decor made mostly from recycled and natural materials, shows just how stylish eco-friendly furnishings can be.

If you go What: Woods & Willow outlet store Where: 436 West Mill St., Cannon Falls Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday For more information, call the store at (507) 263-2075.

A new outlet store in downtown Cannon Falls featuring the products makes them more budget-friendly, too, with items marked down 20 to 50 percent from regular retail prices.

Deb Olson, one of five partners in the U.S. division of Woods & Willow and president of the division, opened the outlet store in November. Her plan, Olson said, is to have the store open at least through January or beyond that if it's successful.

As an international wholesale business based in Belgium, Woods & Willow has existed for eight years, although it only arrived in the United States about a year ago to sell its products to smaller independent retailers throughout the country.

Olson, a Cannon Falls resident for 30 years, met the founders of Woods & Willow in her previous job as a senior product manager at Target Corp. and was impressed with the company's dedication to sustainability and the eco-friendly movement.

"It's just something I've always had a personal interest in," said Olson, who also worked for 13 years at Midwest of Cannon Falls Inc., a company well-known for designing and distributing holiday and seasonal home decor.

The Woods & Willow brand of furnishings includes patio tables and chairs, benches and wall hangings made out of wood reclaimed from old buildings torn down in Southeast Asia. Recycled glass from Spain and recycled metal are also used in some items.

There are terrariums, lamps, clocks, chalkboards and photo frames among the home decor, all designed to look like European antiques with distressed finishes. Much of the Woods & Willow flower pots, vases and garden decor items are terra cotta.

Olson said the Woods & Willow brand has a variety of products that fit in with styles ranging from "crafty country" to "sophisticated and elegant." Retail prices of Woods & Willow products range from $2 to $2,000.

So far, Woods & Willow seems to be doing well in the United States with current sales totaling about $1.5 million, according to Olson. The goal, she said, is to reach $10 million "as quickly as possible."

Dawn Schuett is a Farmington freelance writer.

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