Sur La Table
Kitchen supply store · Pike Place Market ·
Upscale kitchenware, cookware, and home decor retailer
Upscale kitchenware, cookware, and home decor retailer
"This specialty retailer offers a wide variety of kitchen and dining products, with post-Christmas deals on items like Silpats and other baking essentials." - Francky Knapp
"Founded at Pike Place Market in the early 1970s by Shirley Collins, the flagship Sur La Table shop in Seattle has long been a shopping destination and now houses the company's headquarters. Known for a well-curated selection of kitchen tools, ceramics, and home goods—and for popular cooking classes and in-store demonstrations by famed chefs such as Jacques Pepin and Julia Child—the Pike Place location was recently reopened and will be spared as the retailer filed for bankruptcy and closes more than 50 stores nationwide. Sur La Table saw a steep drop in revenue after many classes and events were paused during coronavirus measures, and CEO Jason Goldberger noted in the bankruptcy filing that the company's economic troubles predated the pandemic; Collins sold the business in 1995 and Investcorp acquired it in 2011 for $146 million. The pending sale is being framed as a way to revitalize the brand and preserve high-performing stores like the Pike Place flagship." - Gabe Guarente
"I learned that after almost 50 years as a Seattle-based kitchenware company known for in-store cooking classes and wedding registries, Sur La Table has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced it will close 56 of its 112 U.S. stores; the company has set up a website section listing planned closures and warns that stores scheduled to close won't accept returns after August 7 and that purchases during liquidation sales are final." - Eve Batey
"I note that Sur La Table, which started at Pike Place Market 48 years ago, grew into a national retailer with more than 125 stores and a flagship shop at the Market that has been closed since mid-March. Known for its well-curated selection of kitchen tools, ceramics, and home goods and for popular in-store cooking classes—where famed chefs such as Jacques Pepin and Julia Child have done demonstrations—the company was founded by Shirley Collins (a Pike Place advocate and dedicated home cook) and was sold in 1995 before being acquired by Investcorp in 2011 for $146 million; it even opened a 5,000-square-foot store in Jacksonville last year. Despite a rise in home cooking during the pandemic, I report that Sur La Table has had to shut much of its operations and is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy and may pursue a sale, with online sales likely unable to make up for lost revenue because the brand relies heavily on in-store experiences; although Washington’s phase-one reopening allows some curbside pickup, it’s unclear whether Sur La Table will pursue that option. When reached, a company representative declined to comment." - Gabe Guarente
"Table was a veggie burger restaurant founded by Mark Fuller and Doug Kawasaki. It struggled with landlord issues and slow sales, leading to its closure after five months of operation from November 2018 to March 24. The restaurant focused on lunch, with a menu centered around a vegetarian burger made from fried mushrooms, eggplant, quinoa, barley, cashews, marmite seasonings, and tamarind, dressed with pickled cucumber, dill, sweet onions, tomato-mayo, American cheese, and iceberg lettuce. Other offerings included a veggie bowl, salad, crushed avocado succotash, and crispy roasted potatoes." - Megan Hill
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