The Miami showroom represents a homecoming for Marlon Pando, White Lotus Home's president, and is sister, Elizabeth Pando-­Nieves, the company's vice president. They lived in Miami as youth and worked in their family's handcrafted necktie business. The decision to enter the South Florida market is part of White Lotus Home's strategy to expand its market share in the Caribbean and South and Central America. It also comes amidst a surge in popularity of housewares and bedding made from eco-friendly products free of toxic materials and fire retardants. Said Pando: "As the Internet continues to make the world a smaller place to do business, a location in New Jersey and New York allowed us to reach all of Canada and the entire Northeast. A solid location in Miami allows us to cover the rest of the eastern United States, while giving us access to major cities in the world, particularly in the Caribbean, South and Central America." Elizabeth Pando-­Nieves, White Lotus's vice president and former long-­-time South Florida resident,will oversee day-­-to-­-day management of White Lotus's Miami operation. Artisans in the Highland Park factory supply the company's showrooms in New Jersey, Brooklyn, N.Y., and South Florida as well as a network of 100 online resellers and retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada that offer White Lotus Home's bedding and pillows. Its products are also offered on the online giant Amazon.com. Consumer Mattress Reports, a bedding industry magazine, said here is a surge in sales of specialty beds at the expense of traditional box springs. The magazine projected strong sales over the next two years of green options, like White Lotus's mattresses made of USA-­-grown organic cotton, wool and pure latex. Chemical vapors can affect sleep. Mattresses made from synthetic foam can contain formaldehyde and other chemicals that leach out, causing allergic reactions, breathing difficulties and headaches that interfere with a restful sleep.