- Words by Sandra Jones Photography by Don Denton
If your mother ever told you that watching television was a waste of time, talk to Julia House, owner of Maison Cookware + Bakeware in Nanaimo.
B次元官网网址淭he Food Network launched when I was in my early 20s and I started watching Alton BrownB次元官网网址檚 show Good Eats. He had a scientific perspective on cooking and baking that I loved and the nerd in me thought: B次元官网网址業 can do that!B次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� laughs Julia.
Suddenly she began making everything from scratch.
B次元官网网址淭hat show flipped a switch in my brain. I started by buying a pasta maker and went from there. As my skills grew, so did my need for the right tools.B次元官网网址�
But those tools werenB次元官网网址檛 always easy to find.
Julia turned to trusted sources such as Cooks Illustrated magazine when she needed to find a specific kitchen tool, but would then be frustrated when she couldnB次元官网网址檛 buy it locally.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 decide I wanted a carbon steel skillet and could order it online, but shipping cost a fortune. Or IB次元官网网址檇 just pick up a tool locally and it didnB次元官网网址檛 work the way it should. I wondered why kitchen stores were not doing the research for me. That was when I thought: B次元官网网址極ne day IB次元官网网址檓 going to have my own kitchen storeB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�
That dream percolated in the back of her consciousness as she worked at several retail jobs, created a food blog and moved from Edmonton to Nanaimo. But it wasnB次元官网网址檛 until her then-husband quit his overseas jobB次元官网网址攁llowing her to follow her dreamB次元官网网址攖hat she made the leap.
B次元官网网址淚 knew exactly the kind of store I wanted to create because I had been thinking about it for so many years. I had a list of products I wanted to carry because I had spent hours on the internet doing the research and then testing the products in my own kitchen.B次元官网网址�
Two months after signing a lease on her retail space, she opened the doors.
B次元官网网址淲e opened in mid-October and were open seven days a week. We didnB次元官网网址檛 take a single day off until Christmas,B次元官网网址� Julia recalls. B次元官网网址淏y that time the store was stripped bare and we had no stock left.B次元官网网址�
Word spread quickly through social media and word-of-mouth.
Julia believes in a singularly simple core philosophy: B次元官网网址淎nything we stock has to absolutely follow one rule: If I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have it in my own kitchen, I wonB次元官网网址檛 have it in my store,B次元官网网址� she says.
That point of differentiation results in an exceptionally low return rate of merchandise purchased and an equally high return rate for repeat customers.
B次元官网网址淥ur customers tell us that they love to see this kind of quality in Nanaimo and that they come to us for our knowledge and our passion. Our staff has incredible product and cooking knowledge and we love to share what we know. WeB次元官网网址檝e been able to build great relationships because of that.B次元官网网址�
Strong relationships have also been built with the more than 60 manufacturers from which Maison Cookware + Bakeware purchases merchandise.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been fortunate in that our store is often selected to carry pre-launch items and we love getting the cool toys months before anyone else.B次元官网网址�
One of those items was a bread lame used for scoring bread before baking.
B次元官网网址淭he supplier said heB次元官网网址檇 turned down other companies but knew we were choosy about what we bring in. We were the first store in the world he agreed to sell his product to.B次元官网网址�
Store products run the gamut from one-of-a-kind items like a hand-carved ravioli tool made in Japan to a Smart Oven air fryer.
B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 keep this brand of air fryer in stock. I use mine every single day and IB次元官网网址檝e cooked everything from pies to chicken in it. ItB次元官网网址檚 faster and more efficient than my full-size oven.B次元官网网址�
Julia, who follows the foodie world closely, is quick to anticipate the needs of her customers, but even she canB次元官网网址檛 anticipate everything.
B次元官网网址淭he influence of social media is huge and global trends can take off in a day. Two days after we started seeing hot cocoa bombs on the internet, I tried to buy the hemisphere moulds needed to make them. The supplier was already sold out and has still been sold out for nine months.B次元官网网址�
Of course, also in the category of B次元官网网址渦nforeseen circumstancesB次元官网网址� was a global pandemic.
B次元官网网址淏y some bizarre stroke of luck we had always wanted to have an online store,B次元官网网址� says Julia. B次元官网网址淲e had delayed it for years because it takes a long time to populate all of the items we sell, but we were able to launch it six months before the pandemic.B次元官网网址�
As a result, the store never completely shut down and instead relied on online sales, curbside pick-up and cross-Canada shipping to fill its orders.
And then a funny thing happened: B次元官网网址淎 few people decided to learn how to make bread,B次元官网网址� jokes Julia. Indeed, the lockdown prompted a widespread interest in cooking and as people experimented with everything from making sourdough to Japanese souffle pancakes, they turned to Maison Cookware + Bakeware.
B次元官网网址淭here was definitely a shift in the customers I saw during the pandemic. People wanted to support local businesses and were more conscientious about where they were spending their dollars. There are so many small businesses in Nanaimo and we need to keep that vibrancy.B次元官网网址�
While much has changed over the past six years, JuliaB次元官网网址檚 passion for her business has never waned. B次元官网网址淗aving this store is more than I ever dreamed and there is no doubt that itB次元官网网址檚 the best thing IB次元官网网址檝e ever done.B次元官网网址�
Q&A with Julia House
Boulevard: WhatB次元官网网址檚 your most-used kitchen tool?
Julia House: Ultimate ladle by GIR. ItB次元官网网址檚 made of silicone so itB次元官网网址檚 flexible enough to scoop every drop of soup or sauce out of the pot. It also doubles as a measuring cupB次元官网网址擨 use it all the time.
B: WhatB次元官网网址檚 your signature dessert?
JH: Lemon cream tart.
B: And your dinner party go-to?
JH: I often have people over for pizza night because I have a Breville pizza oven.
B: Who is your favourite cookbook author?
JH: Dorie Greenspan, who has co-written books with Julia Child. IB次元官网网址檓 thrilled sheB次元官网网址檚 started following us on Instagram.
B: Who are your dream dinner guests?
JH: Dorie Greenspan, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively (she loves to bake and I think theyB次元官网网址檙e fun) and Zo毛 Fran莽ois, who is a baker and cookbook author with her own show on Magnolia Network.
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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