Texas Based Eco-Friendly Hardware Store Eyes “Greener” Pastures, Considers Colorado Expansion

TreeHouse, an Austin, Texas-based hardware store that prides itself on being a sustainable home improvement retailer, is gearing up to go national after 10 consecutive quarters of successful growth, including a 60% year-over-year revenue increases in 2014. Topping their short list of areas for expansion is Colorado, followed by cities in California, the Pacific Northwest, as well as other cities in Texas.

Founded in 2011, TreeHouse operates a single location outside of Austin, Texas. After years of rapid growth, however, Treehouse is eyeing greener pastures, so to speak. The areas the company is looking to move into are known for being home to large populations of eco-conscious consumers.

In fact, a recent report published by San Francisco-based real estate website Trulia ranked the Denver metro area as the fifth “greenest” housing market in the country out of 50 major metro areas. In addition, metro Denver’s environmentally friendly homes were found to be among the most affordable in the country.

“It’s been our goal to grow and expand from the very first day we opened our doors,” co-founder and president Jason Ballard said. “We really want to move the needle and one small store in one small part of one city isn’t going to do that.”

Ballard also said that TreeHouse has worked diligently to refine the store’s image and inventory based on customer feedback. While TreeHouse still carries many of the same tools found at other home improvement giants such as Home Depot and Lowe’s, they’ve downsized their inventory to make room for more eco-friendly top sellers such as solar panels, rainwater collection equipment, and nontoxic paint. Also, Treehouse is one of the nation’s top seller of Nest products, a company who has earned a reputation for its smart thermostats.