Snellville wallpaper store carries eco-friendly line

As a frequent shopper at the Snellville Fabric Mart, designer Jack Poles was well acquainted with its merchandise and customers. When he decided to open a wallpaper store, he made the mart owners an offer and wound up taking a small portion of their shop with a side entrance for his new business.

In January, he opened Wallpaper Your World, a 1,500-square-foot nook of wall improvement products.

Enlarge this image

H.M. Cauley / AJC Special

Wallpaper is making a comeback and the demand for eco-friendly paper is high.

Enlarge this image

H.M. Cauley / AJC Special

One of the store’s vignettes shows how wallpaper can complement a design scheme.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Before shoppers are faced with multiple rows of wallpaper choices, they get to see a bit of the product in use. Poles has set up several vignettes that showcase paper and room settings. Just inside the front door, shoppers are stopped by an overstuffed sofa in front of a wall papered in bird cages. Creating a bit of trompe l’oeil, there’s a real bird cage at the end of the wall, complete with several chirping pets. Another setting shows an armchair and table against a wall accented with patterned paper.

“I like wallpaper a lot and thought if I could get the right space, I’d open my own business,” said Poles. “But I didn’t want it to be a regular wallpaper store, so we specialized, carrying a lot of eco-friendly stock.”

What you’ll find

The green selection is part of more than 300 patterns in the store. Rolls are secreted behind the display cabinets so shoppers can quickly determine what’s on hand. The back of the store is a rectangular library area, anchored by a large conference table and surrounded by hundreds of wallpaper books. Shoppers who can’t find what they want in stock can order from the catalogs. Many of the patterns in store have swatches for buyers to take home and match for color against their existing decor.

Along with wallpaper, the store carries a small line of scented candles. They also supply a list of wallpaper hangers who will do the installation.

Best sellers

Faux and real grass cloth wallpapers are among the store’s top-selling items for the texture they add to walls. Other popular selections are those papers that are marked with match-up points for easy hanging. “I have people come in all the time who say, ‘I can’t hang wallpaper’,” said Poles. “But with these papers, they just match the marks. It’s gotten a lot more people to try it.”

The eco-friendly papers are part of a growing customer interest in going green. The store’s selection is marked by small globe stickers to set them apart from the rest of the merchandise. “Otherwise, they look exactly the same as the others,” said Poles. “The big difference is that they have low or no VOCs [volatile organic compounds] and no vinyl.”

Much of Poles’ job is educating buyers on the advantages of the green papers. “But they do know they like the patterns,” he said. “And they like that we have it in stock.”

Trends

After years of homeowners opting for faux finishes and painted accent walls, Poles sees wallpaper making a comeback. “You can get the same interesting look with wallpaper,” he said. “The advantage is that it’s easier to fix a wallpaper you don’t like than to repaint a faux finish.”

In addition to eco-friendly products, Poles sees more interest in bold, black-and-white designs that work well in a variety of settings.

WHERE TO FIND IT

Wallpaper Your World

2340-A Ronald Reagan Parkway, Snellville

Info: 770-979-9087. www.wallpaperyourworld.com

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday

In the area: The store is adjacent to the Snellville Fabric Mart and is close to several decor and home furnishings stores.