Gourmet kitchen store growing in downtown Holland

It hasn't even been a month since The Seasoned Home moved to its new location on downtown Holland's Eighth Street, but the store's owners say business has improved noticeably.

Jody LaCombe and Christina Bensinger opened The Seasoned Home more than four years ago on College Avenue in downtown Holland. They moved around the corner from their old shop to 43 E. Eighth St. on Oct. 29. The space previously housed Thomas A. Davis Jewelers.

"The new store is bigger and Eighth Street is the main shopping area," LaCombe says. "We're getting a lot more walk-throughs and more exposure."

LaCombe and Bensinger are also excited to take advantage of the main street's snowmelt system, which will make their store more accessible during winter months.

The Seasoned Home specializes in gourmet foods and kitchen products, specialty spices and blends, loose-leaf teas, pantry items, serving dishes and cookbooks. The new store is double the size of the previous location, so LaCombe and Bensinger added new gourmet food lines such as Earth & Vine, and expanded the offerings to include products like soups and dips.

LaCombe says the Eighth Street space is more shopper-friendly than the previous store because of its open floor plan. There are fewer nooks and crannies, making it easier for customers to browse.

There is a kitchen in the back of the store, partly for ambiance, but also to use as a space for measuring out teas and spices. LaCombe says the store might offer cooking classes there in the future.

One thing that hasn't changed with the store's move is the owners' commitment to helping their customers and giving them information on food and spices and all things kitchen related.

"We really try to offer good old fashioned customer service," says LaCombe.

Source: Jody LaCombe, The Seasoned Home

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].