When
thePlate Boutique held its first full cooking class in February at its new downtown Grand Rapids location in MoDiv, owner Kati Mora says spots in the class sold out so quickly they decided to open up another class the same day. http://aroundtheplate.org/boutique/
"You never really know until you open what the response is going to be, but we've been really grateful for every person or every small business owner who comes in and is excited about what we're doing," Mora says. "We have been so happy with the responses we're getting. Our customer base continues to grow – we've seen an increase each month in returning customers."
Mora, who is the director of communications and owner of the umbrella brand Around the Plate, opened her first location for the nutrition-inspired kitchenware store thePlate Boutique in Mt. Pleasant, which received a nomination for Independent Kitchen Retailer of the Year in 2014 by Gourmet Retailer Magazine.
A registered dietitian with a passion for her heath and nutrition, she says after years of working with individuals one-on-one and having conversations about issues surrounding healthy eating, she noticed one, reoccurring theme.
"I thought if I could focus in on one thing and make a huge difference, it really was this idea of getting people into the kitchen, because that's where it begins," she says.
With three registered dietitians on staff, Mora says her goal with thePlate Boutique is not only to offer customers affordable, unique, convenient kitchenware that make cooking more fun and engaging, but more importantly to build a community around the idea that spending time in the kitchen doesn't have to be a bad thing.
"I think time is a big issue for many people we work with or that come in and we have conversations with," she says. "Having the time to spend in the kitchen to make a healthy dish has been a real struggle for a lot of people. The other side of it too is usually cost; How do we reduce costs when making meals, how can we stretch that dollar? Time and cost are usually the biggest areas of concern."
So, in addition to cooking classes and taste-maker events, thePlate Boutique holds in-store demos of new products every other Saturday and has created something called the "Inspiration Station," where customers can drop off old cookbooks they aren't using anymore or pick up a new one to try out along with recipe cards developed by boutique staff.
"We really wanted to be able to start a little local hub where people could come in and get excited about spending time in their kitchen and hopefully start looking for ways to eat healthy," Mora says. "That's what we envision for our retail spaces — to not only have a thriving community, but also a healthy one, where people are excited about getting into their kitchens, maybe eating local food...but always emphasize the idea of finding ways to make nutrition interactive and fun."
To learn more about thePlate Boutique or its parent organization,
Around the Plate, visit the
Facebook page here or go to www.aroundtheplate.org, where you can also learn more about events hosted by thePlate Boutique and other local organizations in honor of March's National Nutrition Month.
"Every person who comes in and chooses to shop with us - it's a huge deal," Mora says. "We know it's not the most convenient place to shop — we're small and we're still growing — so we want all of our customers to feel like guests and feel they're appreciated, because they are."
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Around the Plate, LLC.
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