Can’t get enough of new kitchen products?

Tune into the Food Channel on Monday, May 14^th (9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central Time) for the premier of Invention Seekers, a new show that features the next million-dollar food invention waiting to be discovered.  On each program, hosts Patrick Raymond and Steve Greenberg, showcase three kitchen gadget prototypes which are pitched to a manufacturer.  The winning product will be brought to market. Here are a few of the items that will be presented in the first episodes: Sippin' Snacker, a cup that holds both food and drink; Produce Freshies, which claims to keep fruits and veggies fresh for days longer;  Drinking Duck, a silicone cover for dirty soda cans; Mary's Marinating Stick which injects seasoning into meat and a Vibrating Blender  that makes  extra-thick smoothies. 

Displays we love: colorful ceramics

You had us at melted butter.  Wonderful colorful seafood themed display in Michigan features fabulous serveware.

Marketing ideas: get involved in your local Farmer's Market

Ralph’s Joy of Living sponsors the weekly Farmer’s Market in downtown Fremont, Ohio.  Like most Farmer’s Markets, the Fremont market showcases homemade and fresh products from local growers who live in and around the area, but it also features a number of special events throughout the season including a car show, music festival, and a scarecrow decorating contest.  What a great way to tie your store into the foodies and locavores in your marketplace.  Fabulous idea, Ralphs!

Trends: Kids in the kitchen

Getting kids involved in cooking with kitchenware targeted to children has become a profitable sales trend. Teaching kids to cook is fun, teaches them about nutrition and offers practical lessons in subjects such as fractions and measurements.  In this store a toy stove invites pint sized chefs to participate.  

Ralph’s Joy of Living in Tiffin, Ohio just started offering children’s products and because they have been such a big seller, they are planning to expand their offerings to further growth in this category. Here's an end cap with some of their best selling products:

The Kitchenware Tourist Visits Ralph's Joy of Living

Do you visit other kitchenware stores when you are travelling? We do! And we take along a notebook and our trusty digital camera to take photos of cool stores, interesting products and other great ideas. So from time to time, the Kitchenware Tourist will be sharing these visits with you.

When we visited the spacious, inviting store, Ralph’s Joy of Living in Tiffin, Ohio, we were greeted by large photos of the kitchenware store’s helpful staff on the front of the store…this is Kim, the “wine guy”.

Ralph’s started as an appliance store in the 50s, and more recently added kitchen design and most recently kitchenware and wine—literally offering one-stop shopping for all their customer’s kitchen needs. Designer kitchens enhance the store’s environment

They sell single cup coffee makers and offer a large selection of K-cups to keep customers coming back into the store

Soda Stream sales are through the roof especially since they accept cartridge returns

Displays we love: displaying gadgets

You know how much we love a good gadget wall.  But we’ve found some other creative displays that kitchenware stores feature gadgetry in their stores.  Here are just a few: 

Are you on Pinterest?

According to an article in today’s Salon Magazine, the social community image-sharing site, Pinterest, has become the hot new social media tool. And the images-driven is perfect for showcasing great new products from your kitchenware store and website.  Its users are ready to buy--so “pin” kitchenware products that link back to your retail site to show pinners where items can be purchased. Visit Pinterest here