It should come as no surprise that Wüsthof is one of our favorite vendors. We look forward to their visits, and we start planning their next visit before we’ve even finished their current visit. Using the word “vendor” might actually be selling them short. They are more than vendors. They’re collaborators, friends, advisors, and confidants. And we often just think of them as family.
During the summer of 2019, they asked if we might be interested in being collaborators on a Shop in Shop idea. They wanted to design and install a Wüsthof Shop inside of our store in North Loop. Took us about half a sec to say YES! Marie and Andrea worked with Clark, Fran, Adam and Katie from Wüsthof. The nuts and bolts were from Wüsthof. The style and the groove were all Marie. Well, Marie and our buddy Joe (“if Marie can think of it, I can probably build it”) Gilbertson.
Eight weeks, a bunch of back-and-forths, a few meetings and visits to Triple C, the folks who built the cabinets, and a half a dozen email chains later, we had ourselves a beautiful shop with lots and lots of opportunities for hands-on engagement and learning.
The space is not only gorgeous, it also holds a few interesting installations where cutlery meets retail meets art meets moments for discovery, rumination and exploration. The image of Joe’s shadowboxes and curved cutting boards sticks with you long after you’ve left the space.
This Wüsthof Shop is truly a work to behold. Stop in and check it out. Buying a knife is only the tip of the experience.