After years of advising independent kitchenware retailers across the country, Karen Chandler opened her own kitchenware store, Kitchenwares on the Square, in McKinney, Texas, in September.

For more than eight years, Chandler has worked in the gourmet kitchenware industry, helping the independent retailer stay competitive in today’s marketplace. Most recently she worked with Gourmet Catalog, the Dallas-based buying group. While there, she was instrumental in bringing exclusives and direct import products to the independent retailer. She also worked for cutlery company Zwilling J.A. Henckels.

When talking about why she decided to open her own store, Chandler mentions her many life-long friends in the housewares industry, and the industry itself, which she sees as a growing market. She admits her new career as a kitchenware store owner has given her a different perspective on the world of independent retailing. "Becoming an independent retailer has allowed me to gain a whole new respect and understanding to what the independent retailer needs to remain successful," says Chandler.

Before opening her store, Chandler looked at three locations in the Dallas Metroplex area. In the end, she settled on McKinney, a city that ranked No. 5 Money Magazine’s 2010 list of 10 Best Places to Live in the U.S., and is about 40 miles north of Dallas.

The storefront is in a 111-year-old brick building situated on an old historic town square, which hosts numerous events year-round. A Dickens on Christmas three-day event brought 70,000 people to the square, Chandler notes.

“The foot traffic is amazing,” says Chandler about the location, “and there’s not one (kitchenware store) in the northeast Dallas area.”

The 1,500-square-foot storefront has brick walls, brick floors and two large glass windows in the front of the store. Over the years, the space has been used as a yoga studio, a radio station, art studio and a television repair shop.

Kitchenwares on the Square carries everything from small electrics, cutlery, textiles, gadgets, tabletop and cookware. To plan for her store’s first holiday season, Chandler was able to draw upon her years of industry experience. “Coming from Gourmet Catalog, I had a lot of knowledge about product categories and performance. I was able to buy fairly smart,” Chandler says.

Still, there were surprises. She sold out of escargot plates, to which Chandler says, “Who would have thought?” Another popular seller was the Sowden Softbrew coffee brewer, (pictured right) which she had to re-order three times, Pollen Design’s Dry Dock, and Prepara’s Ice Balls.
 

Coming next week: Part 2 on Kitchenware's on the Square's Store Design