Kitchen Affairs Website

Mike's Page

Hand with Pen Those of you who know me, know that I enjoy musing and writing on a host of subjects. Those who don't know us, well, you'll come to know a little about Kitchen Affairs and about our family through our newsletter and the thoughts you'll read on this page.

May 18, 2010 - That's When I Want To Kick Somebody

I was talking to a customer in the store the other day and she was very frustrated because she had bought something and one week later the price was significantly lower, like 20%. She went back to the store and requested an adjustment, but they refused. I don’t have to tell you that she won’t be shopping at that store any more.

What’s really wrong with this picture?

First of all, from the view of the merchant, I have to say that the customer was presumptuous in assuming she was entitled to the lower price. For hundreds of years the rule of law was based on the Latin phrase "Caveat Emptor", let the buyer beware. My customer had no inherent right to the lower price. Now, having said that, let me look at the other side of the coin.

Merchants, and businesses in general today, often follow the maxim WTTWB. This acronym refers to the phrase "whatever the traffic will bear." This often means getting the highest possible price for their goods or services. I understand this point of view. After all, you and I are to blame for this, just as we are responsible for our current economic woes. You ask, "Why am I responsible for this financial crisis?" I’ll tell you in a nutshell. You own stock, or bonds, or a retirement account, or a pension, and you want your money to grow at a better, faster, greater rate than anyone else’s. So you demand greater interest or dividends all the time; never satisfied. This puts pressure on the Boards of Directors of the companies/institutions in which you are invested. They, in turn, put pressure on the company management. It eventually filters down to the lowly salesman in the office or on the selling floor. The pressure originates with you and me!

But back to my story; This merchant was just following "company policy" regarding sales and price changes. The customer was just "out of luck." Some companies are better at handling these things than others; giving credits or allowing exchanges, but very few will apologize to the customer and offer a full refund. We do business with a wholesale distributor of imported goods who has a one-sentence response to any "problem" from a customer. We have tried to adopt this same response in all situations. "What would you like us to do?" and then proceed to do it, in order to make the customer happy. This applies not only to pricing problems, but ALL returned merchandise. A mentor of my told me back in 1969, "When a customer comes in your door, you have a decision to make even before you greet the customer, ‘Do you want to make the customer, or do you want to make the sale?" Successful businesses want to make the customer, even if the sale is put off for months, or we have to "eat" the returned merchandise. OK, OK, I admit it. In 24 years in this business, I’ve said "no" to perhaps 6 or 7 customers. You just can’t please some people; and a very few are just totally unreasonable. But these are very few and far between.

The lady is still waiting for me to finish my story: Good businesses, and a couple that come to mind include Kitchen Affairs, Nieman-Marcus, Hammacher Schlemmer, and a dozen or more others, will always honor a "sale" price for a few days before the sale, or offer to hold the merchandise for the customer and sell it at the sale price when the customer returns during the sale period. We never sell an item at current price IF WE KNOW THE PRICE WILL BE LOWER within the next 30 days, without informing the customer of that fact, and offering to hold the merchandise until the price comes down.

Although we are an independent business, we do have pricing obligations to our vendors. And when they say lower the price on the first of the month, we don’t sell it on the 30th of the previous month at the lower price; but we don’t hide from our customer the fact that the price will be lower. This is what the lady was so mad about! This large corporation knew the price would be lowered. The store management knew the price would be lowered. Maybe even the sales person on the floor knew it. BUT NOBODY TOLD THE CUSTOMER! WTTWB; whatever the traffic will bear. But in this case it cost them a customer. It usually does. That's when, as a businessman, I want to kick somebody!

One more thing; we also like to tell our customers when we are aware of an impending price increase. I don’t want to show you a knife today at $80 and have you come back on Monday to find it’s $100, especially if I already know that’s what the price is going up to. It’s just not good business.

Do you see a common thread here? It’s very simple really. As our sage Rabbi Hillel the Elder once said. "Do not that unto your neighbor, which you would not have done unto you." Just deal honestly and try to treat everyone with some respect. You will reap the benefits.

March 22, 2010 - Building into the Future

Arizona and New Mexico are truly beautiful in the springtime. We’ve just returned from a vaca-tion/mission trip out there. The mission was to try to determine where we (Shelly and Mike) are going, in a couple of years after we’ve sold this store. We love the store, but we also love the desert, and want to go out there to teach classes, and stop working 60 to 70 hours a week, year ‘round. We have no intention of retiring, but only moving on, as they say (did you know Kitchen Affairs was our fourth business?). We plan to stick around for our 25th anniversary party, next year, but if the right person walked in with a large enough check, we might reconsider. I need to tell you that money is only one qualification for buying this business. We’ve had several inquiries; and we will talk to anyone who’s interested in its purchase, but because Kitchen Affairs is so dear to us, and we feel it’s such an asset to the Tri-State community, we will be somewhat particular about who buys it. I don’t want someone to take it over, and make it over completely into something entirely different from what we’ve built. I want to sell it to someone who will love it as much as we have. Although if someone were to offer us the equivalent of a winning Powerball ticket, we might have to be a little less particular about it . . . For now, we’ll just keep going, and growing, thank you!

January 29, 2010 - To Your Health!

This toast, offered in numerous languages, in various forms, is not only a universal wish for your continued well-being, but also a salute to your vitality (Salud!) and even to life itself (L’Chaim!). With all these salutations in mind, I’d like to address the subject of health claims and kitchen cookware and containers.

Over the last 23 years we have heard nearly every imaginable claim of "This material (plastic, finish, coating, etc.) causes cancer (Alzheimer’s, heart disease, shingles, etc.). The only health claim we’re certain of, is that if you believe everything you read, you will die. And if you don’t believe it, you will die anyway! But let me address a few specific claims and what we believe about them.

PFOA, PTOE, Teflon, etc. coatings: Some of these materials are harmful, yes. You should not ingest great quantities of them. Most of the harm comes from repeated inhalation (breathing) of some of the potentially harmful substances. These may be released when certain pans with non-stick coatings are overheated. We believe, from all that we’ve read on the subject, that this problem is worse with inexpensive coating materials which flake, peel and chip, and that even those formulations are much less potentially harmful now than they were just a few years ago. ALL OF THE MAJOR LINES OF COOKWARE WE CARRY USE FINISHES THAT, WHEN USED AS DIRECTED, ARE 100% SAFE FOR REPEATED AND CONTINUOUS HOUSEHOLD USE. If we didn’t think that was true, we wouldn’t carry the products.

Polycarbonate storage and beverage containers (BPA-related concerns). The only tests we have seen are inconclusive at best regarding the risks of BPA to otherwise healthy adults. There may be some valid concerns regarding very small children and people with immune-deficiency issues. We think that the use of polycarbonates in your microwave oven is far preferable to using styrofoam or other "take-home" containers from restaurants. WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE POLYCARBONATE COOKWARE in our microwave and polycarbonate storage containers to cook and re-heat foods in our microwave ovens, both at the store and in our home. We think this probably falls into the same category as global warming: i.e. it is an issue that we need to address, but it poses no immediate personal threat.

Cast iron cookware DOES increase your intake of iron in your diet, but unless you have a systemic problem with too much iron in your system, it probably is more beneficial to most people than detrimental. Check with your physician on this one. (And for goodness sake, stop taking those iron pills or vitamins with iron, if this concerns you!). Or switch to Le Creuset cast iron. Because of the enamel finish, you can safely get all the advantages of cooking in cast iron without the risk of your foods interacting with your cookware.

Aluminum cookware has been an issue debated for years. All aluminum cookware, including anodized aluminum and "specially-hardened" aluminum cookware, will over time react with your acidic foods. The issue here is whether or not it is harmful enough to make a difference for most people. And what that difference might be. The issue here seems to be a relationship between aluminum in our systems and Alzheimer’s disease or premature dementia. (What’s premature dementia? Does that means we will all become demented sooner or later?) The studies I have read all show that the most significant source of aluminum in most people is the antiperspirant most of us unthinkingly apply on a daily basis. More aluminum is absorbed into the body through direct skin contact than through absorption by ingestion from whatever source, including aluminum cookware. We think you’re probably OK using your anodized aluminum cookware, but we have always avoided carrying cookware which is made so that your acidic foods come into direct contact with aluminum (uncoated) surfaces. This is why we never recommend using your aluminum rectangular baking pans to cook and store your lasagna or casseroles made with a lot of tomato or lemon product.

We certainly can’t address all the various health issues that arise with regard to kitchen cookware, containers and foods, nor would you want to read all of them. We can only suggest that if you have specific concerns you contact your physician, or the dietician at one of our fine local hospitals. We would also remind you that you certainly shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet, on any subject! There is a lot more mis-information on the Web than true and correct facts. Check your sources before you act on internet information.

At Kitchen Affairs, we are always concerned with our customers’ health and well-being. We will always act in what we believe to be our customers’ best interest when purchasing product. Therefore, we admonish you: Buy the best you can afford. This applies to kitchen products, but most especially to buying the finest food ingredients you can find, to prepare your family’s meals. Also, don’t drink cheap whisky, and when you drink, if you do, don’t forget to toast your health (and to be grateful for it, too!).

December 24, 2009

I want to again encourage each of you who have not done so to sign up for our e-mail list. (Go to the the page "Receive E-Mail). We had a little open house in early December for those who have signed up, and it was a great party! Nearly every e-newsletter contains a special offer, an advance “heads-up” or an opportunity available only to those on our e-mail list. We have decided that we are not doing enough to thank you for your loyalty, instead of just expressing our thanks in writing. Please understand that we aren’t discriminating against those who do not “do” e-mail, but we are rewarding those who are helping us hold down our advertising costs, and saving trees and reducing our environmental impact at the same time. We’ve run some great specials in our e-mail newsletters. If you’re still not signed up, please do it right now! Don’t miss out on this year’s special offers, and be the first to get these newsletters.

One of our annual traditions in this first newsletter is to list those best-selling items from the early part of the holiday season. This year, as always, our big dollar items were cookware; especially Le Creuset and Swiss Diamond, cutlery sets and specially priced knives, and the new food processor from Cuisinart. This is a totally redesigned unit at a great price, and we sold out within just a few days on every shipment we received. Bakeware was, as always, a steady seller, but the real surprise to us was how much food product and how many cookbooks we sold. Olive oils, vinegars, hot sauces, marinades, chutneys and preserves all sold better than ever this year. What it tells us is that more people than ever are cooking at home. We’d like to think that you are eating better, for less money, than eating out for every meal, or buying “convenience” foods. I promise that you can put a nice dinner on the table in less than an hour most nights, and for half the price of eating the same meal at a fancy chain restaurant. We would encourage you to continue to support local restaurants; they circulate the money back into our community and provide some much-needed jobs, but the best food is still found on your table at home.

We’re packing our bags. This year we’ll be making 4 scheduled trips during the first quarter. We’ll go to conference and gift market in Atlanta, then a family event outside of Chicago, then a working(?) vacation to Arizona; still trying to figure out where we’ll move to, when the time comes. And finally, the International Housewares Show in Chicago, where we will begin to shop in earnest for next Christmas (although we will place some orders at the show in January in Atlanta). If there’s an item you really want, or a new product you’d like to see us carry, please let us know. E-mail Mike at mike@kitchenaffairs.com or call Shelly at 474-1131 and be sure to give us your name and phone number so we can let you know when we’ve found precisely the right thing for your kitchen, or to give as your gift to someone else.

Please feel free to use the e-mail address above to let us know how we’re doing. We want to hear your complaints, no matter how serious they may be or how trivial they may seem. The only way we get better is by knowing what we’re doing wrong. And if by chance you’d like to chastise or commend any member of our staff, feel free to communicate that to me as well. I will handle it tactfully, but I hope effectively. Now if you want to really make someone’s day, tell us who is the reason you keep coming back to the store. I promise to pass that along as well. What I am finding is that I receive a lot more direct communication from you via e-mail than I ever did by phone or regular post. I appreciate that, and try to always respond within 36 hours.

Stop in soon and have a cup of coffee with us. It’s nice to spend a few minutes on a cold winter day with friends. We always hope your shopping experience at KITCHEN AF¬FAIRS is more than just about spending money. We want it to be a pleasure for you as well. Every day we all look forward to coming to work, because it’s truly a pleasure for
us to do business with you.

September 6, 2009

Boy! People really expect you to live up to commitments, even indefinite commitments. I’ve had 4 people ask me when I was going to get around to a new entry on this page; all within the last week. OK, OK! I got the message.

Been thinking lately about getting older. I had another birthday (see below for the best thing about birthdays) and I realized that I have finally passed into a new period in my life. When I was thirty, that was a milestone for a couple of reasons. First of all, I could no longer trust myself. I was THIRTY!!! I was OLD! Along with that, I concluded that my life was probably half over. I had already lived half of the years I could expect to live on earth; the productive years at least. That was my conclusion, then. Fortunately, I have been proved wrong.

When I celebrated my fortieth birthday, I realized that I had surely reached middle age. My life was now half over. Most people didn’t live to be eighty years old. I wasn’t unhappy about it. I had a wife who loved me (Let’s not argue tenses here.), two fine sons, one in college and the other in high school, and a new business. This was the fourth business I had owned. This one, Kitchen Affairs, is probably the last one I will own, and it is certainly the last one at which I will work full-time. All of which is not meant to take anything away from my wife Shelly. She has been an equal and full-time partner in three of the four businesses we’ve had.

When I became fifty, I realized that, even with the great advances in medicine, I probably was halfway through my years. It was unlikely that I would see the century mark, but I figured that since I didn’t accomplish much the first 15 or 16 years of my life, I still had about half of my “working years” to go, and I was looking forward to enjoying every one. In fact, every year when I observe another birthday, (I’m not sure whether I now celebrate or observe them; I guess it depends on my mood), I look forward to the coming year with happy anticipation that I will enjoy another good year. A good year! Thus far in my life I can honestly say that only a couple of them were not good years. What a blessing that is.

At sixty, I could no longer delude myself. Most, if not all, of middle age was behind me, but I had no intention of retiring, either from work or from physical activity. I am actually in better physical shape today than I was 20 years ago.

So what’s the point of all this verbal rambling? I guess it’s just that every day, when I walk, I think to myself that today is another fine day; a great day to enjoy life, and all it brings. I really feel that way; every day! I hope you’ll stop in the store soon, and share a smile with me. It’s the smiles and the laughter that make every day worthwhile, at least for me. Now that I’m eligible for Social Security, I have to tell you that I have no intention of applying for it any time soon. By the way, the best thing about having birthdays is, it beats the hell out of the alternative. Enjoy every one when it comes, and enjoy every day in between them, too.

July 23, 2009

Ever heard of the AHA Moment? It's a national campaign sponsored by Mutual of Omaha. They asked me to tell them about my AHA Moment --here's the link to the video!

Mike's AHA Moment

When Shelly and I were contemplating getting out of oil and into something which would hopefully be profitable, I spent a long time on the phone with Joel McLendon of Dallas. Joel was instrumental in making Kitchen Affairs a reality. We could not have done it without him. It may have been my AHA moment, but he was the man responsible for it, and we thank him still. (By the way, he's still opening stores today, at age 95.)

June 19, 2009

THERE’S ALWAYS TIME ENOUGH FOR WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT!

A few years ago, my younger brother was going through some life-style changes. He was divorced, and changing professions. He put a message on his phone which may be the most profound lesson I ever learned from him, and he didn’t know just how wise he was (and is). His message said “This is Randy. I can’t take your call right now, because I’m making some changes in my life. Leave a message at the tone. If I don’t call you back, you’ll know you’re one of the changes.”

Superficially, this seems a lame attempt at comedy, but in reality it reflects a profound truth. Each of us has at some time or another, received a message from someone, a mass marketer, a salesman, or maybe a voice offering us “the opportunity of a lifetime” which we never bothered to return. Why? Because to us, that call, that person, was not important enough to respond to. It/he/she just wasn’t worth our time. We all set priorities in life. This is human nature, and not something to be ashamed of.

We all make choices; all day, every day. We choose what’s most important to us, both short-term and long-term. Imagine a harried mother who is expecting company for dinner. Suddenly, as the pot on the stove begins to boil, the phone rings, and from the other room, her child screams. Of course, most mothers would drop everything, rush into the other room, and after ascertaining the safety of her child, would rush back to the stove, to prevent, if possible, a culinary disaster, and a potentially huge clean-up job. Only after several minutes, if at all, will she remember that the phone was ringing. However, if she knew that the phone call was from her parent, who had just been severely injured in an auto accident and needed her to call the police and an ambulance, she would certainly have put the phone call ahead of the pot of soup, and maybe even ahead of the screaming child. This would probably depend on the type, volume and intensity of the scream itself. Do you see what I’m getting at? Everything we do, all the time, reflects this truth:

THERE’S ALWAYS TIME FOR WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT!

Even if it seems that time is running out; on a deadline, on an illness, or even if we know someone in a terminal situation, we, and they, will somehow find time for what’s most important, to ourselves, or to themselves, at that moment in time. Sometimes, we don’t like the choices other people make, but we owe it to them and to ourselves, to allow them to choose for themselves. Rarely, and sadly, sometimes it’s most important to just give up the project, give in to the illness, or just die. But for them, or for ourselves, that is the choice we make, and have every right to make.

More often, thankfully, we choose what’s most important based on the benefit our actions will provide. We choose to help, to assist, to guide, to work, to dry a tear, or provoke a smile or laugh. When there is no apparent crisis, and our basic needs are met, we choose to provide pleasure to ourselves or to others. But first we deal with crises and basic needs, because these are more important.

If you send me an e-mail that solicits a response, in most instances I will respond within 24 hours. If I am in the woods, or in transit somewhere, it may take me a little longer. If you send me a mass mailing, I may very well not respond. If you call me on the phone, I will almost always take the call, unless I am really tied up, in which case, I will try very hard call you back within less than a day. To me this is basic respect for others, and courtesy to fellow human beings. BUT, if I call you and leave a message, and you don’t return my call for several days, then you are telling me that I’m just not very important in your life; and if you don’t call me back at all, then you are telling me that I am irrelevant in your life, and I should probably just leave you alone. If this is not the interpretation you want me to make, then you’d better return my calls, because I don’t know any other way to interpret these responses.

This same principle applies to our business. If you call, we always try to answer within 3 or 4 rings, we almost never leave you on hold for more than a minute or two without first offering to take your number and call you back, and we respond to all our customers’ messages left on our answering machine. We also place a higher priority on people who are in our store than on people on the phone, so if we are busy with customers, expect us to take your number and call you back, or expect to wait until someone is free (i.e. not working with a customer, and not in the bathroom or up a ladder in the stockroom) and we will respond. Why? Because we try to never forget that what’s most important to our business is YOU. By shopping with us, you demonstrate that we have a place in your lives. Common courtesy (and good business practice) requires that we reciprocate by demonstrating your importance to us We try to do that every time you come in or call us, and if we fail to do so, please let us know. We’ll do our best to correct that impression. Call and test us on this, or better yet, stop in and let us show you that these are not just empty words like you get at “big” or “chain” stores. No, we’re all here by choice, and so are you. We think that’s a good starting point for a long-term relationship. That’s what we want, with you.

Make it an axiom in your life. You know it’s true; understand it and live by it.
THERE’S ALWAYS TIME FOR WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT!

April 29, 2009

It’s been several months now since I’ve added to this page. I apologize for that. Some writers write well when they are unhappy. That is not me. I choose to communicate when I am in good spirits, and to withdraw when things are not so good. The last year has not been the most fortunate. Several of our friends and family have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses or conditions. Some are doing well; others are making the best of bad situations. And I lost one.

I met Michey on August 29, 1965, just a few days before I met Shelly. We were best friends from that day on. Michey was big, and a big city boy; I was nearly a foot shorter and from a town with less people in it than he had in his high school. He was the most unusual person I had ever met, or ever will. He was a photographer, a karate instructor, a basketball coach, a cook on a transoceanic freight liner, a Master Bridge player, a professional gambler, a dealer in anything he could buy and sell at a profit, a construction worker, a yoga teacher, and a doctor of Chinese herbal medicine. He was all of these, and so much more. He was one of the most charismatic men I’ve ever met, without trying to be. People just automatically respected him, and most liked him from the moment of meeting him. He was unique.

Michey was the best man at our wedding in 1968, and I was the best man at his, when he finally met the love of his life and married her in 2003, at the age of 56. We shared a love of life, an enormous respect for women, and for Jewish tradition, although he was the only true Jewish Buddhist I’ve known, and a love of, and respect for, all living things, and Whatever created the world we know.

We were with Michey and Lee, his wife, in Colorado when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. We visited them again, in Albuquerque, last September. By then, Michey was already very sick, but would not admit how serious it was. It was the last time we shared a bottle and good food, and some laughs.

I flew back out in February for their sixth anniversary. Michey was now living in his bed. To bathe was an ordeal, and dressing was out of the question. I spent time preparing Lee and myself, in as much as that is possible, for what was to come. I said good-bye to Michey on February 7. On March 9, Lee called to say he was gone. I flew back out to help Lee, and to bring his ashes back to his mother in Chicago. On March 25, we buried his ashes next to his father.

I knew Michey as well as anyone could, and he was my best friend for 15,899 days. I will miss him for that many more. How privileged I have been to have had a friend like Michey, and to be his friend as well.

Many of you have heard me say that I always see the glass as more than half full, but I must confess that I don’t see my glass that way. Because of friends, and family, and Kitchen Affairs, my glass or cup is always filled to overflowing. I am grateful for that, and to you, one and all.

March 15, 2009 - "Make It So"

You know I’m a firm believer that attitude makes a huge difference. I would encourage you all to stop watching the “gloom and doom” sayers on TV, and get on with your lives. Life here in Evansville is going on, as it has before, through natural disaster, inflation, recession and even depression. If you will take the attitude that deep-down you know you’re still doing OK, and that you know there are brighter economic times ahead, then you will have already taken the first step to make it true. Or as Captain Picard was so fond of saying, “Make it so.”

The only way you can know that you’ve hit bottom is when you look back and see that you’ve come up. I don’t know if we’ve hit bottom with this strange economy, but we are very grateful that our loyal customers continue to enjoy patronizing our store, and so far, it doesn’t seem to have hurt the local economy as much as it has elsewhere. That’s not much consolation if you’re the one who’s been laid off or had your work hours cut, but it is something to be thankful about. We may just have to put off any thoughts of retiring for another year or two, since our business seems to be doing much better than our investments. C’est la vie!

I want to just insert a little ad here for a neighbor in Woodland Center. VIETNAMESE CUISINE restaurant, which was closed for a couple of months has re-opened, and their food is great! If you haven’t tried them, do! To make reservations (advisable on the week-ends) call 402-6440. And if you see Shelly and me there, you can offer to pick up our check. We won’t mind.

As you read this, we are probably packing for the Housewares Show in Chicago. If there’s something you want us to find, give us a call, today, before we leave. We love seeking out the new, the different, and the most desirable items for you. You are still the reason we can stay here, and stay in business. We don’t forget that, and we thank you for it, again and again.

I’ll remind you too, that if you have ideas for classes or want an instructor to teach something special, you can always e-mail me at mike@kitchenaffairs.com and I’ll work on them with the instructors.

Besides our regular schedule of classes, which we hope you will find meets your needs, we also use our kitchen here in the store to host private groups. We’ve done bridal and baby showers, birthday parties, organizational meetings, team-building activities, and of course, intimate dinner classes for 3 to 9 couples. If you need a facility or would like to plan a dinner class for a group, we hope you’ll give Shelly a call, and discuss whether and how we can help you.

If you are reading this in the mailed and printed version, we would like to encourage you once again to sign up for our e-mail list. If you had, you would have been reading this a few days ago, and would be saving trees and energy. Eventually, we will have to stop sending out the thousands of newsletters we mail every quarter. You will receive your information faster, save a tree, and allow us to use those dollars to make your shopping experience, and your cooking classes, at Kitchen Affairs even better. Just go to www.kitchenaffairs.com and look for the “button” on the left which says “get e-mail.” You will then be asked a few simple questions as to your interests, and that’s it. It shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes total. I promise you three things: 1) every e-mail you get will have an unsubscribe button on it, and we will honor those requests, 2) we will never share your information with anyone except those services that do our work and they are bound by the same requirement (the information is solely for the use of Kitchen Affairs), and 3) we maintain a firewall and every reasonable means possible to keep all your information secure. I would assure you that your info is as secure with us as with the government, but I hope we’re better than that.

Thanks again for your continued patronage. We’ll keep on trying to have the merchandise you need and want, at the best price we can sell it for, and giving you the best value for your dollar, and the best service to back it up. Nearly every week, we make decisions here in the store that have a negative impact on our “bottom line.” But when we do, it’s to satisfy a customer, maybe even you. It may not make us as much money, but it does give us satisfaction as well. You’re our bottom line. You keep us here. We can’t do it without you. You’re not just a source of income to us; you’re the reason we look forward to coming to the store every day.

Our store personnel (we never consider them “employees”), it seems, is constantly in flux. We are always on the lookout for good people who are as passionate about cooking, and about helping people, as we are. If you are interested in joining us, now or in the near future, please stop in and talk to us about it. We could certainly use one or two energetic new faces to share the joy of working with you, our valued clientele.

January 2, 2009 - The Year Ahead

This is an uncertain time for many businesses, and for many of you. We are blessed; and you are that blessing. The best advice I've ever received in troubling economic times was to "take care of the people who take care of you." Obviously, that's good advice any time, but when things are looking lean (and most of us could afford to look a little leaner yet!), it is especially imperative that we all take care of those people who are directly responsible for the wonderful standard of living most of us enjoy. I am referring to our families, our customers, our suppliers, our delivery people and our mailmen (persons); in other words all the people who care about us. We are blessed that so many of you care about our store, as we care about you, as customers and as friends.

I want to again encourage each of you who have not done so to sign up for our e-mail list. We had a little open house in early December for those who had signed up, and it was a great party! More than 100 of you came and shared a bite and a cup with us, and allowed us to thank you personally for your loyalty. We are already planning more exclusive events for this year. We have decided that we are not doing enough to thank you for your loyalty, instead of just expressing our thanks in writing.

One of the things I really love about using e-mail to communicate with our customers is that you are much more likely to communicate with us by e-mail. Customers (all, not just ours) are sometimes reluctant to communicate negative feelings to a business or its owner, and sometimes they (we) have suggestions that we just don't take the time to communicate. Certainly we often communicate with businesses when we have questions about a product or service. What I am finding is that I receive a lot more direct communication from you via e-mail than I ever did by phone or regular post. I appreciate that, and try to always respond within 24 to 36 hours. I think this is going to be another good year. I am the eternal optimist (Shelly says I see the glass as 51% full; always more full than empty). It's going to take a while for our economy to get back on track, but it will; and sooner rather than later. We stock our shelves optimistically, and we didn't run out of too many things in December. We also didn't see the business reversals many others saw. All of us here try to remember that our successes always depend on you. Unless you come to Kitchen Affairs, and talk to us, and shop with us, then we all lose something which we here value. And value is what really drives the economy. Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet, once told me "Always buy the best you can afford. You'll never regret it. You only regret buying cheaper, not better, goods." He was right, and we try to make sure that everything we carry is worth the price. We always want you to be happy with everything you buy from us. If not, please let us know.

One of our annual traditions in this first newsletter is to list those best-selling items from the early part of the holiday season. This year, as always, our big dollar items were cookware, cutlery sets, food processors and stand mixers. Those sell every year; but this year we also sold a lot of the silicone Beater Blades for those mixers, and for KitchenAid mixers, too, even though we don't sell the units. We sold hundreds of our re-usable nylon shopping bags (we have a lot of "green" customers), and hundreds of cookie cutters. I think a lot of people are spending more time at home, cooking and baking, and of course, that's good for our business. Kyocera ceramic knives and peelers were hot this year. Although we've carried them for several years, this was the year they really caught on. If you've never cut with ceramic, you really don't know what you're missing. Food, glorious food! as the song says, was very important this year. We are carrying a wider array of coffees, teas, and food products than we ever have, and you are buying more and more of them. We sold out, repeatedly, of several food items. Interestingly, some of those we've carried for years, but this year you found them. Bakeware and ovenware, in both ceramic and metal, continue to sell well, as do hundreds of styles of gadgets and tools. Didn't you find an olive stuffer or a poach pod in your stocking? For shame! Stop in and we'll show you all these things and lots of new stuff, too.

December 2, 2008 - Being Better

Last month I told you that "There is always time enough for what is most important." I believe that. I also believe that every year, as the old year draws to its close, we all have a tendency to look back with nostalgia and ahead with some trepidation.

The nostalgia is for all the good of the past year, and its partner is the chagrin we feel for what we have left undone. The trepidation is for all the new, sometimes frightening and sometimes painful, experiences we will have in the coming year(s). That trepidation has its twin in the anticipation that many of those experiences will also be pleasant, profitable and often joyous. In other words, it’s going to be "just" another year.

There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. We are nervous about economic conditions; we are concerned about environmental issues, of all kinds; and we are worried about individual people, both our own citizens and others, who do not share our values, or our respect for other peoples’ values. I’d like to suggest we set those fears aside just for a moment, and concentrate our thinking and plans for one purpose only. It’s something Jews call Tikun Olam.

Without going into great detail, I’ll just tell you that, according to the Talmud, the Creator of the Universe, whoever or whatever It is, left Mankind to be His last creation for a reason. The Torah tells us that, at the end of the sixth day, just after creating Man, God began the Sabbath, and on that, the seventh day, God rested. Nowhere does it say "God Finished His Creating." The Talmud says that God left the world unfinished, and left it to Man to Finish His Work. This concept of "finishing" or as some say "repairing" the world is referred to as Tikun Olam.

I interpret this to mean that we each have a responsibility to make the world a little better, or a little more in accordance with what we think is the Master Plan for the Universe. (There is an old Yiddish expression, "Man Plans and God Laughs.") What it means to me is that we each of us, every day, need to work on Being Better. Better to our earth, and all its inhabitants; animal and plant alike. Better to our fellow men, and women, and children, whatever their size, shape, age, color, or sex. Better to our friends and family; and finally Better to ourselves.

As a Rabbi once told me, "If you think it’s wrong, it probably is. If you think it’s right, you probably are." Let’s all make a resolution to be right more often, and I don’t mean when disagreeing with others, but in terms of being Right, in the sense of Righteousness. This is as admirable a goal as I can conceive of, for 2009. Please share it with me.

November 2, 2008 - Just Enough Time!

I have a young (18-year-old) friend who comes to me for advice. One thing I have told her, on more than one occasion, is that if you want to know whether something is important to someone, crowd their schedule. If it’s important, that someone will find the time for it.

There is always enough time for the things that are most important to you!

This is one of those "great" truths in life. You will always find the time to say, or to do, or to help, or to give, to those people, causes, and obligations which are most important to you. This is one of the things that irritates me about leaving messages that are not returned, or returned after many days. It tells me that the person for whom I left the message has little or no regard for me. The waiter who ignores my table had better be wealthy, for by his actions he tells me that my patronage, and my tip, don’t matter as much as whatever else he’s doing instead of taking care of me.

I’m telling you all this because this is the busiest season of the year for nearly all of us and I want you to know and remember three things: First of all, you need to take time, no matter how busy you are, to take care of those who are most important to you; your family and friends, you work associates, etc. Don’t let the season become an excuse for ignoring or neglecting them. They’ll still be here long after the decorations come down and the food is just a memory.

Secondly, we hope that when you come to Kitchen Affairs, we have enough staff on hand to show you how important you are to us. If you ever feel that you are neglected in our store, please let us know. We will make every effort to make it up to you, and to do better next time. You are the most important person in our store when you are here. Please remind us of that, if we seem to forget it.

Third, we understand that if you take the time to shop with us, you are telling us that we have some importance to you, and we certainly appreciate that! You can spend your money anywhere, a fact some businesses seem to forget at times. When you come to Kitchen Affairs, you are telling us the we, and the merchandise we provide, are important to you as well. We are grateful for that and hope that when you do stop in, we all have time to share a cup of coffee and a smile or even a laugh or two. Please come see us soon. (Everybody likes to feel important!)

Remember, there is always enough time for the things that are most important to you; and have a happy, not-too-hectic holiday season.