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SERENDIPITY CANDLES SEE PAGE 20 UPDATE: GIFT BASKET SEE PAGE 15 PRODUCT REVIEW: BLENDTEC DESIGNER 625 SEE PAGE 9 H o u s e w a r e s R e v i e w KITCHENWARE NEWS V O L U M E 1 9 , N U M B E R 1 0 PRODUCT REVIEW ■ Blendtec Designer 625 PAGE 9 SMALL ELECTRICS ■ Electric Pressure Cooker PAGE 12 THE KNIFE RACK ■ Personalization from J.K. Adams PAGE 10 RETAILING FEATURE ■ Gift Baskets PAGE 15 GOURMET GOODIES ■ The Spice Lab PAGE 22 GADGET OF THE MONTH ■ Spiral Cutter from Microplane PAGE 23 TRADESHOW CALENDAR ■ PAGE 23 News ..............................................3 Ad Index .......................................23 www.kitchenwarenews.com VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 ■ $7.00 BY AMBER GALLEGOS Millennials, that group of people born f rom 1977 to 1995, also known as Gen Y, have quickly become the fastest growing U.S. demographic in the marketplace. The generation consists of nearly 80 million people and is expected to outspend Baby Boomers by 2017. With so much spending potential but different factors affecting how and when they spend money compared to previous generations, gaining their business and loyalty presents BY LORRIE BAUMANN It wasn't hard to find KITCHENS when I arrived at the NorthPark Mall in Davenport, Iowa for a visit. I simply walked up to a mall employee who was arranging brochures in a rack at a gift card sales booth and asked. She directed me down the wing to my left and told me I'd smell it when I got close. "What does that mean?" I asked. She smiled. "It smells delicious. They have coffee." KITCHENS: Friendly Service and Familiar Faces Bring Customers in from the Mall Continued on PAGE 3 Continued on PAGE 4 Continued on PAGE 8 Continued on PAGE 4 A few minutes later, I was offered a cup of that coffee by Kathleen Collins, who is the general manager and buyer for the family business founded by her parents Mitzi and Jeff Collins in 1992 with the opening of the first KITCHENS store in Evansville, Indiana. Today, the chain has six stores scattered around the eastern U.S., all inside shopping malls. The chain is headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from Davenport via the Centennial Bridge. BY LORRIE BAUMANN Economists, time management experts and nutritionists are all urging Americans to skip fast food lunches in favor of bringing lunches to work, but according to Mark Bittman, who wrote in the New York Times, simple embarrassment is one reason why some people aren't doing it. Kitchenware retailers can help solve that problem with beautiful lunch totes, high-quality food storage containers and ideas for lunch options that'll let brown- Merchandising the Office Lunch Trend Spotting at the Summer Markets How To Win Generation Y's Business baggers feel like they're making a statement about something other than personal poverty when they tell their f riends that they've decided to bring a lunch instead of heading out to the fast food joint. For inspiration, Julia Mirabella offers recipes and gorgeous photos in her book, Mason Jar Salads, which includes recipes, not just for salads but also some breakfast and hot lunches that can be packed along to work in glass jars. This week, I used one of her recipes for a salad of spinach, blueberries, sliced almonds and blue cheese with a vinaigrette dressing. Instead of packing it into a Mason special challenges for kitchenware retailers. Jason Dorsey is a millennial expert who has written several books on the topic of Generation Y, including "Y-Size Your Business" and "My Reality Check Bounced!" Known as The Gen Y Guy®, Dorsey is also Chief Strategy Officer at The Center for Generational Kinetics which takes him all over world solving generational challenges for companies and leaders. Having written his first book at age 18, Dorsey is himself a Millennial and offers great advice for kitchenware retailers to connect with the Generation Y population. Dorsey points out that there are several things to consider. First, many of the major life events of this generation are being pushed back. Millennials are graduating from college, entering the workforce, getting married, buying a home, and having children later than previous generations. These key life moments that might typically prompt an individual to purchase BY AMBER GALLEGOS This summer's markets featured industry wide trends reflecting kithenwares that combine form and function as well as tabletop pieces aimed at group entertaining for the home. The Dallas Total Home and Gift Market kicked off the season, taking place from June 18-24 at the Dallas Market Center. The location has hosted markets for the last 50 years with the campus constantly evolving to form its current five million square feet stretched across the campus of four buildings. The market showcased thousands of product lines from categories including gift, home accents, lighting, floral, fine jewelry, garden, gourmet, home textiles, tabletop and housewares and rugs. The fifth annual Gourmet Gold Awards recognized exceptional manufacturing and products from both the temporary exhibits and permanent showrooms at the Dallas Market. Winners included Chef Fabio Viviani Signature Series with Bialetti for Best Cookware or Bakeware, Blossom uCap Silicone Sipping Cap from Harold Import Co. for Best Kitchen Gadget and Blendtec Designer 725 for Best Small Appliance. The 2013 addition of the Total Housewares and Gourmet Market as a subcategory of the main show has energized the market and allowed the culinary stage to become a main draw of the event with this year's stage featuring native Texan Chef Blythe Beck. "We have found that there is definitely an interest in the housewares and gourmet product. We see that both in our permanent showrooms as well as in our temporary space that it is an area where retailers are looking," said Jim Lugannani, Vice President of Gift Leasing. The Dallas Market Center plans

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