Oser Communications Group

Retailer Profile RETAILER PROFILE KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n JUNE 2017 n www.kitchenwarenews.com 14 Tabletop of the Line kitchen area. "We bring chefs f rom local restaurants as well as places outside the area," says Ellis. " We've had chefs f rom Mexico, France and Japan. The cooking class has always been an important driver in our store for imparting knowledge to customers, as well as a good way to sell our products." Ellis also opens the floor up to company representatives. "For instance, Emile Henry will come in and do a class with their bakeware. Ankarsrum does baking classes, Vitamix will come in and do their classes [as well]." Younger demographics are making their way into kitchenware stores, especially when there's wine to be had. "We get some date nights, especially with the wine and beer pairing classes, those have more couples than the other ones," says Ellis. " We' ll continue to enhance our skills classes, we have a lot more young people that are beginning to learn. We always have well- educated cooks coming in, but now we have more young people, so that means more knife skills, pasta making and pizza making." The older, standard demographic is often connected with the nearby University of Oregon. " We get some traffic f rom college students, we get more f rom college employees and professors; they 're well-paid employees. It's a more important segment for us, we get a lot of traffic in that regard." Eugene is a busy area for both vacations and sports. "I'd say the majority of our customers are locals, but we get some tourist trade in the summer when people are coming for hiking or sporting events. We get traffic for the sporting meets that they do that time of year," says Ellis. "They travel a long way, and they have to do something during their long stay for diversity." Tourists also take advantage of the chance to ship items back home. "Oregon is a no-sales- tax state; that's a great thing because they can buy things that cost extra at home, the idea equates to f ree shipping," Ellis adds. Cook's is in an older area of Eugene called South Town, where artisan markets, bakeries and breweries have accumulated. With the Pacific Northwest growing as a hot spot for fine dining and the locally made movement, many local groups want to get involved in classes and sales to promote their products. "Because we're in a very unique area of the country, we'll have a lot of different wineries come in to do pairings, as well as beer. We've just started craft distilling. We've got five distilleries here in town, we're doing a Bourbon and Brisket class. It's always been an important part of our store, it functions as our main outreach and marketing as well," says Ellis. "[Customers] sometimes come by after the class or in the next few days and purchase merchandise, we always give them coupons after the class. It really builds up our credibility; it keeps bringing people back into the store as well." Ellis wants employees to have an informed opinion on what they are selling. To make sure they have firsthand experience with products, employees are given appliances to use in their everyday cooking. "They're talking from experience. If they're selling copper cookware, they 're cooking with copper at home," says Ellis. "At this point all our employees have a Vitamix. That way, they can speak about what they make at home. We feel that our experience and knowledge is our only edge against what you can find on the internet." The five-person crew is mostly between half and full time, with people filling in during cooking classes. In this affluent Northwestern area, customers are focused on long-term cooking potential. " We see strong sales in cast iron, especially in artisan produced heavier cast iron. We also see a lot of movement in ceramic nonstick, and in heavier grades of nonstick," says Ellis. "Our customers have had what we call the 'foldable cookware' and they don't want to buy the same thing over and over. We're selling things like Le Creuset and All-Clad. These are all built for a lifetime of service. They 're heritage pieces." Basic kitchen electrics like toasters and coffee makers sell well in the area, and high-end fabrics are a strong category as well. KN (cont. from Page 1) Cooking at home has its advantages, from eating healthier to saving money. Time is the limiting factor, but the right equipment can make food and beverage prep easier and more fun. These tools can inspire culinary creativity and add convenience in the kitchen. Create delicious frothed beverages with the Capresso froth MAX Automatic Milk Frother, featuring patented f rothing technology for maximum froth at the touch of a button. It has three temperature settings: hot, warm and cold. Ideal for hot chocolate, cappuccino, latte, flavored steamers, chai tea lattes, hot cider, iced fruit lattes and more. Bring on the laughs with the Zoku Cool Moji Ice Tray, which makes ice in 10 lively emoticon shapes. Ice releases easily from the silicone mold — no ringing required. The rounded ice designs express many emotions: Bashful, Charmed, Hilarious, Adoring, Smirk, Wise Guy, Excited, Jolly, Flabbergasted and Jokester. Upgrade your cutlery with the Kyocera 5-Piece Universal Knife Block Set, featuring four essential Revolution Series knives with ceramic blades that stay sharp up to 10 times longer than conventional blades. The compact Universal Knife Block is sturdy, hygienic and practical. Experience speed cooking with Kuhn Rikon's Duromatic Micro Microwave Pressure Cooker. Swiss-designed, it combines pressure cooking and microwaving for a fast route to delicious home cooked meals. Speed cooking preserves vitamins, minerals, and aromatic taste and texture. Comes with foldout handles, locking lid and safety features. Add convenience to roasting or grilling with the CDN LED Probe Thermometer/Timer (LT392), which shows when meat is rare, medium rare, medium or well done, based on USDA guidelines. This fully featured thermometer/timer combo stands out for pre- programmed doneness stages illuminated by color-coded LEDs and temperature pre-alert when food is almost done. Take coffee brewing to the next level with the JURA E8, featuring the exclusive Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.) that optimizes extraction time for the best aroma, for barista-style brew with more crema. It features a modern TF T color display that simplifies preparation of coffee specialties, from cappuccino and latte macchiato to trendy flat whites, at the touch of a button. KN Making Cooking at Home Fun Maple Run Emporium is celebrating its sixth anniversary at 49 Market Street in Potsdam, New York. The shop opened on April Fools Day 2011, and has been expanding its offerings ever since. "The original idea was to sell maple candy and maple syrup," said Owner Mary Hilton. "And it just snowballed. We're not only a specialty maple shop, but also a kitchen store, gift shop, art gallery, and gourmet grocery. Ultimately, that's an emporium!" With more than 2,000 square feet available in the historic brick building, there was room to grow. The shop now features an Artisan Gallery of local artwork including paintings, pottery, wood-turnings and baskets. The shop's main aisles showcase an impressive array of cookware, knives, cutting boards, utensils, textiles, stemware and books. Maple specialty foods remain the focus of the shop, and there are continually new entries to this niche. "The current trend is bourbon- barrel aged maple syrup," Hilton noted. "We had only one brand a few years ago, and now we have five." She also pointed out the popularity of maple-smoked products. The smoky maple wood flavor is featured not only in syrup, but also cheese, tea and salt. Maple syrup and maple sugar also add flavor to some unexpected products such as sardines, cocktail mixes and soy sauce. Having the opportunity to taste a multitude of maple concoctions led Hilton to introduce the Maple Run Emporium brand of gourmet foods, which now includes maple teas, maple coffee, maple seasoning peppers, a maple chocolate drink mix and pancake mixes. The most recent introduction is Maple Organic Tea, which was just released this year. The fragrance of maple is also a wonderful addition to scented products, Hilton said. The scent is created with essential oils and essences and added to formulations for the Maple Run Emporium brand of kitchen and bath products, which includes lotions, hand creams, body scrubs, candles, soaps and cleaners. So far this year Maple Run Emporium has introduced two new hand creams – Maple & Lavender and Maple & Rum. "I'm always excited to find a unique new item and put it on the shelves," Hilton said. "When people come in and ask 'What's new?' I am absolutely delighted to show them!" KN Maple Run Emporium Celebrates Six Years in Potsdam

• Cover