Elevating Small Town Kitchens: The Brick Kitchen's Story

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I can't out Amazon Amazon.
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I can't out Walmart Walmart, but Walmart and Amazon together can't outdo what we do.
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Welcome to Joy Curated.
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I'm Cindy Peterson, co-founder of Berry and Basil, a thoughtfully curated kitchen store in beautiful downtown Chamberlain, South Dakota.
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Here we discuss food, quality, and real life without the pressure to get it perfect.
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I have real, honest conversations with makers and product experts to talk about how things are made, how they're meant to be used, and how thoughtful choices can make everyday life feel more confident and enjoyable.
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One of the unexpected gifts of opening Berry and Basil, and I've talked about it before, has been the friendships that it's brought into my life and Angie's and the relationships that we've built.
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And it's people doing exactly what we're doing in their own towns, in their own way.
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And today's guest is one of those people.
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Nate co-owns the Brick Kitchen in Independence, Iowa, with his beautiful wife, Shelly.
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And they opened just months after we opened, Barry and Basil.
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And what they have built is something really special.
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And I always love chatting with Nate because I learned so much about some of the products that we both carry.
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I learn something new every time, and I just love hanging out with him when we're at shows.
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So I think you're going to love this conversation.
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Nate, let's start at the beginning of your kitchen store journey.
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How did that start for you and Shelly?
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The kitchen story.
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Yeah, you know, I and I always point off by saying, I am not a chef.
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I am not a gourmet cook, and neither is Shelley.
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We just we just like to play around with the kitchen, you know, and we're a sucker for kitchen gadgets.
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So when we would go somewhere, we'd always be, we'd always find ourselves at the kitchen store.
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And I think I'm well, I know where it was.
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We're at we're at uh Cooks on Crocus Hill in Stillwater, Minnesota, which is this kitchen store.
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Yeah, tucked into this beautiful old historic brick building.
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And I think our kids were probably eight and ten at the time, and we're just kind of like loving it.
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And and somebody said, I wonder if a store like this would work in independence, which is our town.
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And it just kind of became this whimsical topic of conversation amongst the family for all these years, and it just, you know, the kids would see something on TV and they'd be like, Dad, we just saw an ad for this thing called a Ginsu knife.
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We could put that in our kitchen store.
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Like, well, maybe, you know.
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Um, but we were always seeing things, and I had everybody always had these ideas, and you know, it was just it was just something we always talked about, and it was never serious until it was.
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And then all of a sudden, we just started looking at things, and it's like, you know, why couldn't we do it?
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And there was a small kitchen store in Cedar Falls about 30 miles away, which it was a small kitchen store and and didn't quite have the same feel of the one and the one up in Minnesota, and we just we kind of felt that we could do better.
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And so we started looking into it, went to our first show in 2015, met some great people there, um, some of which have turned out to be friends of both of ours.
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But we met uh the folks from HTI Buying Group, which was phenomenal.
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Met some people some other stores, and right away they're like, if you need anything, call us.
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If you're curious about anything, call us.
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You want to know what you call us, call us.
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And we had the stack of business cards of people to call.
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And fast forward to 2020, the pandemic's going on.
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We thought we'd found a building a couple of times to put our store in and it didn't happen.
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And we said, okay, this ship is sailed, it wasn't meant to be.
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And in fact, somebody from the HTI Buying Group called me in August of 2020 and said, hey, we've still got this information for you.
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Do you, you know, do you want us to hang on to that?
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Is there still a chance you're gonna open?
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I said, no, I, you know, it would have been nice, but I don't think it's gonna happen.
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And literally two weeks later, this building fell in our lap.
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And this building is uh King's Hall.
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It's our city's 150-year-old former opera house, and it's been sitting underutilized ever since I moved, I moved to this community in in I think 1992.
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It's just been an afterthought.
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There's been a couple of different things in there, it just kind of sits in the corner of downtown, and it's so it was so underutilized and so blah, that people didn't even, when I when we said, Oh, we're gonna buy King's Hall, we bought King's Hall.
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They're like, Well, where's that?
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What's that?
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Well, it's you can't miss it, it's the biggest building downtown.
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But it was so underutilized that people just ignored it.
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And it just kind of fell into our lap.
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We partnered with uh another couple that owns a bike shop, and so the four of us, uh Andy and Tanya is the other couple, and Shelly and I.
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So Shelly, Tanya, Andy, Nate, we call it Stan Development.
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Stand Development bought the building and immediately went to work renovating it.
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Um the bicycle shop opened in February of 21, and we opened in uh May of 21, so we're coming up on our May 27th will be our fifth anniversary.
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And the neat thing about it is, you know, of course, our kids are along, you know, every step of the way, right up until we bought the building.
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And our daughter was going to uh because she graduated from the University of Iowa in the spring of 20.
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And as you know, terrible time for a college student to be looking for a job.
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And she got offered a job to go teach English in Spain.
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So she went over, she just as she was getting ready to leave for Spain, we said, We think we're gonna buy this building here, but you can't tell anyone until they closed the deal.
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And her first reaction was, Are you gonna open a kitchen store?
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Like, well, who thinks so?
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So she went over to Spain, we bought the building, renovated the building, opened the store.
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We've been open for about a month before she finally came back, and all four of us got to work a day in the store together, and that was the most special day, I think, yet.
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Really cool.
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In fact, we have a picture above the cash register of the four of us, big smiles on our face, first day we worked together.
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Oh my gosh.
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So that's that's kind of the that's the brief version of of the kitchen with the brick kitchen and how it got started.
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It's such a family business, you know, in terms of obviously when we own our own businesses, uh, we put so much into it that when we get to work with our families and and uh and the the help that that when they chip in, you know, and it's just so special because it what's what carries over, I think, when we the experience we have in our kitchens at home and how we we wanted to just translate that into you know making that in more enjoyable for people in their own homes too.
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And so I think when you feel that love in our in our stores, uh we hope to carry that through into people's kitchens.
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And I think you guys have that same passion.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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We and we've always said, you know, you go over to somebody's house, you have a little get together, whether planned or impromptu, where does everybody end up?
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In the kitchen.
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When you have relatives coming to town for a holiday, everybody ends up at the kitchen.
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Because the kitchen is is really the most inviting place.
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And so it's only natural that a kitchen store be like that.
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And you mentioned, you know, family.
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When when we were really getting down to the nitty-gritty of working on the building, and we had to do a lot of work.
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There's not an inch of floor, ceiling, wall, beam, whatever that we didn't touch with something.
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We had friends coming in, uh running a chisel, running a paintbrush, running a shop vac or something like that.
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And not along with family, of course, but uh we had a lot of friends that just jumped in and and and and pitched in and you know and helped.
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So it's it's it's been you know, like you say, it's it's the area where it draws people together, just like a kitchen in your home.
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Yeah.
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And so how big, you know, let me back up a little bit.
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You guys are in Independence, Iowa.
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I don't think we we stated how big of a a community is independence?
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Independence is six thousand people.
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Okay.
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And we're uh we're the county seat of Buchanan County in northeast Iowa.
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We're about 45 minutes north of Cedar Rapids, about 20 to 30 minutes east of Waterloo and Cedar Falls.
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So there's a lot of people in Independence that go work in the bigger communities, but our main industry is still agriculture.
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I mean, we're very much an agricultural community.
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Our our our business kind of ebbs and flows with planting and harvest season and and things like that, but it's still, you know, primarily an agricultural community, and and we're just happy to provide quality kitchen products to people that, you know, otherwise you'd and you'd have to drive to Ames or Des Moines, which is two hours, two and a half hours.
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We're it.
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So we've we've got a very big customer base made up of a lot of really small towns like ours.
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You know, and and that's again is just that commonality that we have in common.
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Because you're you're in a city not much bigger.
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Well, it's smaller.
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We're uh we're technically Chamberlain proper, if you will, is about uh 2,900.
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And then we get into the suburbs of, you know, Ocoma and Pakwanna and uh and Kimball and and all the areas around us.
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So it's such yeah, we draw.
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Um and it's so funny, you know, it was graduation this last weekend and I had more men, uh, farmers may make it into town for parts at the dealership or whatever else, and they I had more men say, How is the store doing?
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And how, you know, I still wonder how how things are going for you guys.
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And I I think people come in and they think, oh gosh, things are expensive here.
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Except it's it's not when it's the quality items that we don't want to travel for.
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You know, we I don't want to travel two hours to Sioux Falls and in some cases Minnesota for for some of the higher end stores.
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And so it just it makes sense to bring that quality where where things last.
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You know, it's that South Dakota, it's that Iowa agricultural, you know, rather sell you one can opener than six over a lifetime or more.
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One of our customers said it best is that people in people in small towns deserve good things just as much as people in larger communities.
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But I think there's also, you mentioned guys coming in.
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I think when you come from a rural community or with an agricultural background, if you live and breathe agriculture, whether it be ranching, you know, cattle or beef or corn or soybeans, you depend on your equipment and you depend on your tools.
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And you know full well you can go to you know the big discount store in the south side of town and get a set of tools for twelve ninety-nine, or you can go to you know someplace and get a good set of tools for twelve hundred ninety-nine.
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You know, I think people in rural areas appreciate the quality of a good tool and they understand the price is going to be priced accordingly.
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And I think that's what's really helped us, particularly, and I don't know if it's your store, but we've noticed that when a you know, if a if a lady comes in by herself or with a friend, you know, she'll buy some things and she'll oh look at this, and it's nice.
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She comes in with her husband, you know, she'll say, Oh, I I really kind of like this, and the husband will say, Well, get it.
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You know, is that better than what you have now?
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Get it.
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You know, a hundred dollars for a knife, do you like it?
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Get it.
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Well, I think because guys have that grasp of you know, what you're doing is you're shopping for tools for your kitchen.
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And you know, a good quality tool is is is worth the price.
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And I always point out that I don't think we're expensive because if you look at our products, and I'm sure it's the same uh Barry and Basil, if you look at what we have here and then look at it online, it's usually one or two dollar difference.
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Right, you know, product for product, model for model.
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Now, I don't have a three-pan fry set for fry pan set for 1996.
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You know, if you really want one, I can point you to a store that has one, but I'm I'm not playing in that arena.
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Right, right.
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There's enough cheap imported kitchen crap.
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I don't need to participate in that arena.
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Right, right.
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And I'm sure it's the same with you.
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Right.
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Do you do you guys sell online as well?
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Or do you have a kind of an online presence?
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So that's a long story.
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We do, but our our current website is not very intuitive.
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It's not very, you know, it's not very easy to shop on.
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We're in the process of getting that fixed.
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In fact, that's tomorrow's Zoom meeting, is with the agency that that we brought on to do that with.
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So we plan to do more uh because I would like to capture those people that live, you know, 40 minutes away, they don't want to drive all the way to independence.
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They they know what they need, they just it'd be nice if they we could just ship it to them.
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They just go online and find it, click it, buy it from us, and we'll get it to them.
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Yeah.
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But I don't I have no illusions of, oh, I throw open a website and people from you know Venezuela are going to be ordering kitchenware from me.
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Online shopping doesn't work that way, at least, you know, unless you're Jeff Bezos.
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Right, right.
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And I think it's that personal relationship that we you know when we're in the store, and I always say uh how we're choosing the products because we've ha had you and I have had an opportunity to talk with the manufacturers, talk with the reps, and and and kind of curate the products that we think are the best in their category and kind of taking some of that homework and getting it done for the people before they even walk in the door.
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But we lose that that conversation we get to have online.
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It's still important, but it's it's the relationship that we build along the way that I think is so valuable.
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And bringing those high quality products to our communities is I mean, it's something that just makes me so proud and how hard Angie and I work to make sure things are priced fairly and appropriately and and yeah, it's just a joy every day.
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We use the term experience a lot because you know, everything here you can touch, you can hold, most everything here, if it's consumable, you can sample it.
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I mean, even our knife cabinet.
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If you're curious about the knife, I'll run to the fridge and and get a couple stocks of celery and you can start slicing and dicing or whatever, so you can feel how that knife feels in your hands.
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You'll never get that with online.
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And I think you and I were at the same seminar a couple years ago when they said for small businesses made a really good point.
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I can't out Amazon, Amazon.
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I can't out Walmart, Walmart, but Walmart and Amazon together can't outdo what we do.
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And that really it's always been in the back of my mind.
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It's like, okay, our our strength, and the strength of all small businesses is relationships and customer service and building that trust between you and the customer.
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And uh we've had this conversation before, and I I know you feel about as strongly about it as I do.
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Oh man, yeah, yeah.
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So when somebody walks in, I I think it's a common where somebody says, Oh gosh, there's nothing I need in here because I don't cook.
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I I kind of have to chuckle about that.
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What is your what is your response to that question?
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I just laugh and I said, I bet you're still gonna find something you didn't know you needed.
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And eventually they do, and uh I've had so many people come up to the well, I don't even cook, and look at all the stuff I'm buying, I just laugh because you know it there's there's gonna be something you're gonna find.
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I think you guys do a little bit more gift than we do, and we're almost exclusively kitchen.
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But there's there's still little toys and gifts and in and stuff that that people find that it's just like, oh my god, I've got to have this.
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Right.
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Well, and I think you know, if you eat, you cook, you warm something up.
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You if you toast bread, you're that's a very good point.
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You know, and so it's something where uh we all cook.
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It's just uh what tools are out there to make that easier.
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And and why as a society if if we don't cook a full course meal, I mean, even if you're opening up a box and putting a couple extra ingredients in there, you're still cooking.
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So you still deserve great tools to make that easier.
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Yeah, yeah.
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That's a that's a very good way of putting it.
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Yeah, I really like that.
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So you you mentioned knives, and I think you know, when somebody opens up that knife case, what are the what are the the things that you say or or direct them to to how to choose the right knife for them?
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Well, the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna ask them, you know, what are they gonna use it for?
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What's the you know if all you're gonna be doing is opening you get a knife to open Amazon boxes, well they've got this, you know, really cheap pairing knife here for you.
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But I talk a little bit about what they're cooking, you know, how much they're cooking, and then the the style, uh I guess, you know, if if somebody surprises me and says, Well, I do a lot of, you know, I do a lot of Japanese style cooking, well, I know where to direct them.
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But for most people, I I I point out you probably the the workhorse of your kitchen is a is a good chef knife.
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And you know, every meal that you make, every quality meal that you make always begins with a knife.
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And it's almost always going to be handled with a chef knife.
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So then it just comes down to the feel.
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You know, is the handle too big?
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Is the handle too small?
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How is a blade balance in your hand?
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Is it too long, too short?
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Is it too blade too heavy?
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Is the handle too heavy?
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And just like I said earlier, I get out three or four stocks of celery and say, here you go, just start start chopping them up and see what happens.
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And first of all, you can tell right away the people who have very dull knives at home, because usually I have to stop them and say, Okay, you don't need to lean into it, and they'll get cutting and they'll cut one.
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:23.519
Oh, I really like that, and they'll go another one.
00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.720
It's like, yeah, that's nice too.
00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:31.119
And they'll go through about three or four knives, and all of a sudden they hit that one, and they just go, Oh, oh man.
00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:39.680
And it doesn't matter what the price is, that's like, okay, you know, this is judging by that reaction, this is the knife for you.
00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:41.359
And we'll still try a couple others.
00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:45.440
And sometimes they'll be like, Well, I can't, you know, I can't afford a$200 Woo stuff.
00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:49.839
It's like, okay, well, let's go back a little bit, something a little bit more affordable but similar.
00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:57.119
So it really, a knife is such a personal thing, it really comes down to how it feels in the user's hand.
00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:00.400
And once you get that established, the rest is easy.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:04.160
The knife will basically choose itself, for lack of a better term.
00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:10.880
So we go through a lot of celery, and uh and then we get done, we have to, you know, clean all the knives, and sometimes they have to touch up the edge a little bit.
00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:20.079
But uh, it's really one of those things where people just that find that, you know, it's like I'm not a big Harry Potter fan, but there's a scene where instead of choosing the wand, the wand chooses you.
00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:23.759
It's kind of like that when you go into the in the knife case, it's like, oh, here it is.
00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:39.839
And that's one of the ways that stores like ours can really excel because you know, you're gonna walk into any other store and they're all wrapped up in bubble wrap in a box and cellophane sealed up, and there's no way you're gonna touch that knife until you get it home, and then what do you do?
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:51.119
If it's not the one that fits, if it doesn't, you know, so we really we really try, especially with knives, we really try and get people to try them out because that's they'll they'll immediately know which one they fall in love with.
00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:51.920
Right.
00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:56.319
We always you know, we we have lots of conversations coming up on the podcast with knives.
00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:03.359
I have Ed from Kang Shun on actually it'll uh be out this you know, at the we're recording, it'll go out tonight at midnight.
00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:14.799
But yeah, so I I mean knives, it's just so overwhelming, and I I feel like there's so much information out there that it just really comes down to what feels good in your hand is is the basis of it all.
00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:15.599
Absolutely.
00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:26.880
And for you know, from there, I mean there's still you know, there's several handle styles and blade styles if you if you like this model of Kang Shen, but uh you know maybe you you didn't want to quite spend that much.
00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:29.680
There's uh you can go up or down, you know, in the price list.
00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:32.640
So there's there's a there's a lot of options out there.
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:39.200
But it it yeah, you're right, it uh all comes down to feel because you know you're gonna use that knife for 15, 20 years.
00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:47.680
You know, that's gonna be your your workhorse in your kitchen, so you want to be sure that it fits well, you know, in your hand and you can you know keep that motion going.
00:19:48.720 --> 00:20:03.839
You know, one of the funny things that we talked about, and we have a Facebook group with other kitchen store owners, and I'll I'll never forget when you said, and and this again it's probably the third time we've talked about it on the podcast, but the stainless steel cutting boards.
00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:11.279
And you said that was like God's gift to the knife industry because how many knives have been ruined.
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:14.000
So, what is your cutting board of choice?
00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:15.759
What what do you like using?
00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:18.880
Well, my my cutting board choice, of course, is an Epicurean.
00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:31.359
I think most everybody in the kitchen business, we just love those because it's it's very durable, it's dishwasher safe, it protects your knife blades very well, it just does everything.
00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:37.839
Now, having said that, we've started to get more into traditional wood cutting boards.
00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:46.319
There's there's a knock against them right now because the grain on wood, you know, will open and close with the humidity of your room.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:21:02.160
And when it's open and you cut something like meat, you know, the juices from that raw meat can go in there and then attract bacteria in there, and there's a you know, a lot of studies or there's a lot of information out there that says that's not the most healthy thing.
00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:06.960
And so a lot of people have been avoiding traditional wood cutting boards.
00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:08.799
And I've been one of them.
00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:14.799
And then lately I've been thinking, okay, my mom used a wood cutting board for forever.
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.000
Both my grandparents used wood cutting boards for forever.
00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:26.000
You know, everybody I know is their mom and their grandmother, and I don't know anybody that got sick from a wood cutting board.
00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:31.839
I mean, I I think we're overthinking things, and and I and I have a little bit of danger fatigue.
00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:34.000
You know, oh look out, this product's gonna kill you.
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:35.359
I have a little bit of fatigue from that.
00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:46.400
So we started carrying some more traditional wood cutting boards, and as much as I love Epicurean, they're fantastic, they're very, very functional, they're just not very attractive.
00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:51.039
And now we've got some wood end grain, some some herringbone cutting boards.
00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:56.000
I'm really starting to fall in love with traditional wood again because it just it looks so good.
00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:59.839
So that's you know, it's kind of like now I've got it do I now I gotta have.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.799
Two sets of cutting boards, one for work and one for display.
00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:06.240
Titanium and stainless steel cutting boards.
00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:13.119
It just every time it seems like every time I go on social media, there's that ad and I just give myself a headache because I roll my eyes so fast.
00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:14.000
Right.
00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:17.759
It just showed up, and now we'll probably get the ads again talking about this.
00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:22.480
But yeah, it just showed up yesterday and I was just like, wow, don't they know my algorithm?
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.039
Haven't they figured out that I'm not into that?
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.440
And I was like, yeah, no, please.
00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:30.559
I I think it's it's misleading and it's it's unfair.
00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:31.039
You're right.
00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:34.880
Because it it's so many things on there that that just bait that fear.
00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:38.000
And we of course want to make the best choices for our family.
00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:41.200
So let's just add in one more thing that we have to worry about.
00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:49.440
You know, and I and I get it because there, you know, there are some real concerns with some of the older nonstick cookware that starts to flake off.
00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:56.400
And there's other concerns, you know, with with all the microplastics in our system and in our, you know, drinking water and everything like that.
00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:04.559
But, you know, I think a wood cutting board is probably the least thing we need to be worried about right now as far as healthy cookware.
00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.240
Right, right.
00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:07.920
And and so cookware.
00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:17.680
I think one of the biggest takeaways that I learned about cookware when we opened the store is every nonstick surface wears down over time.
00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:25.519
And and finding the quality and that balance, but to have you know, you definitely get what you pay for with cookware.
00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:26.880
Oh, absolutely.
00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:39.200
And so is there anything that you learned about, you know, cookware or knives or any other product line that you did not realize until you started researching things?
00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:42.319
I tell you what, every I think I learn something every day.
00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:49.279
I mean, every single day I come across like just the other day I was um I'm preparing for a class that we're gonna be doing on marinades.
00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:51.920
You know, I'm a big proponent of stainless steel.
00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:56.000
I love stainless steel bowls, stainless steel cookwares, stainless steel utensils.
00:23:56.160 --> 00:24:07.279
However, stainless steel bowls, if you marinate meats and things in a long amount of time and you have a certain amount of acidity, that stainless steel could leach chemicals into your foods.
00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:18.079
Now, if you're using stainless steel cookware where the stainless steel is is hot and at a high temperature, and that that high temperature is working against the acidity of the food, you're fine.
00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:28.799
But if you put a bunch of meat, a bunch of acid, a bunch of spices and things like that in with your meat stainless steel bowl, cover it up and put it in the refrigerator, now everything is is in a neutral state.
00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:38.880
And that acidity, working with the stainless steel, can add harmful leaching metals and uh uh off tastes to into your food.
00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:50.640
And I got and I didn't realize it after I thought about it, it's like, okay, if you watch the Food Network and any restaurant, they're always marinating their food in those cambro plastic containers, they're always or glass bowls.
00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:52.640
So, you know, that's something I just learned.
00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:53.839
It's like, who would have thought?
00:24:53.920 --> 00:25:01.680
So it's a it's a constant learning process, and uh, you know, I never would have guessed that because I was I was 100% sold on everything stainless steel.
00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:02.799
Not so fast.
00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:13.440
Wow, you know, so it it's it's crazy the stuff that you pick up and just just what I learned about retail in general, and we never even we didn't touch on this, but I think you and I have discussed it before.
00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:30.480
When we opened the store, the combined retail experience between my wife and I was I worked at a stereo store for about six months when I was in college, and she worked seasonally for about six weeks at a K's merchandise, and that's the extent of our retail experience.
00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:34.960
Along with everything else, do we want to open a high-end kitchen store in a small town in rural Iowa?
00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:38.640
On top of that, oh yeah, there's a pandemic going on, so there's strike number two.
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:42.400
And then neither one of us have any retail experience.
00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:45.680
And I still laugh because I see it seemed like the thing to do at the time, you know.
00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:46.240
Right?
00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:52.079
Well, I I laugh because when people have asked that question, well, do you guys have retail experience?
00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:52.640
Well, no.
00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:57.599
I I sold eggs uh with my cousins and my sister on every Saturday.
00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:01.359
It's how we all paid for college, and we had a cash register and everything.
00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:02.400
So it was legit.
00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:03.839
I mean, we were big time.
00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:06.240
And then um yes, yeah.
00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:11.839
And uh Angie's response is she worked at the Limited one Christmas um when she was in high school.
00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:19.119
And so it's like, yeah, that's we just when you're passionate about it, I know we've made mistakes, but I always say we haven't made any fatal layers yet.
00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:21.440
So we're we're still playing store, you know.
00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:23.519
That's a good way to put it.
00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:36.240
You know, we talked about your past, and one of the things I love, love, love is uh so many people in the kitchen industry, very few were born into this industry or have taken over a family business.
00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:43.839
And so your past of uh tell me a little bit about what you got you personally did before because I love I love everything.
00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:46.880
Actually, my career started in broadcasting.
00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.160
I started working at a radio station when I was a sophomore in high school.
00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:51.680
Sophomore, junior?
00:26:52.000 --> 00:27:03.119
It I I couldn't tell you what what year it was, but I I I had to read the news headlines every night at at uh 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock, and then a network took over at midnight.
00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:04.799
And so I had that was my job.
00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:12.480
16-year-old kid, news headlines, and it had to be exactly 75 seconds because then we went to a network feed after that.
00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:20.640
And I'll never forget my the very first headline I read on the air was Ronald Reagan has accepted his party's nomination for president of the United States.
00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:23.119
That was the first headline, so it goes back a ways.
00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:32.559
So I did radio for 10 years, that migrated into a little stint with a newspaper, and then migrate you know, things kind of migrate.
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:59.839
Eventually, I ended up in television and video production for probably about 20, 25 years, and that's what I was doing right up until two or three days before the store opened, is I was finishing up some projects that um during the pandemic, there was a lot of corporate videos that needed to be done, a lot of what they called the virtual trade show videos that was keeping me busy, and I was doing I was I was working on those, I was helping to get the store open, and I was coaching high school soccer at the same time.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:05.279
So it all you know and it all just came to an abrupt end, and then we opened the store two days later.
00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:07.359
So it was it was a busy time.
00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:15.680
You uh in uh your broadcasting, you also I remember you showed me uh you you got to interview Dale Earnhardt, and then Yeah, yeah.
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.440
So where does the NASCAR story come into play?
00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:37.119
Well, I was I was in between the newspaper job and the video production job, and a buddy of mine was uh racing in what was then the old ASA series, and uh that was a traveling series that went all over the Midwest, and I was on his pit crew for a while, and he eventually moved on to NASCAR.
00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:45.599
Um shortly before he went to NASCAR, I took a job with a company that sponsored a car, and so I would go to some of their races from time to time.
00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:58.000
The picture of of me and Dale Earnhardt was he and uh a couple other NASCAR drivers came and raced at one of the local speedways in Cedar Rapids, and I happened to long story, I knew the promoter.
00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:13.920
He asked me to be the track announcer that night, so I obliged, and I got to meet Dale Earnhardt and I believe Kenny Wallace and uh Michael Waltrip, and uh I also uh worked with Rusty Wallace there for a while and got to be friends with Davey Allison before he passed away.
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:16.880
You know, got got to know a lot of those guys.
00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:21.519
Yeah, it was it was it was like I say, it was a it was a good time in a previous life.
00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:26.640
I I love the you know I grew up going to a dirt track every Saturday.
00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:34.400
Dad would, you know, we'd go get in the car in our pajamas because we'd be asleep by the time he had to load us back up and and head home.
00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:38.079
So yeah, it's I ironically, Shelley and I met at a dirt track.
00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:47.359
We met at the dirt track in Independence Motor Speedway, and and we actually uh we'd been open for about a year and a half, and you know, we knew a lot of people that raced in town.
00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:50.480
In fact, her dad was a late model driver for years.
00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:52.559
We said, you know, we've had this business for two years.
00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:55.119
I can't believe nobody's asked us to sponsor their race car.
00:29:55.359 --> 00:29:56.559
And we thought, yeah, that's a little weird.
00:29:56.640 --> 00:30:08.240
And then all of a sudden it dawned on my wife, he goes, Wait a minute, Leah, who's one of our best customers, and she's like a two-time track champion in in the stock car division or something like that.
00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:10.400
She's just why hasn't she reached out to her?
00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:11.599
Like, I don't know, let's call her.
00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:14.880
So we called her and she said, Hey, are you looking for a sponsor?
00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:17.920
And she just she's like, Oh my god, I was just gonna call you guys.
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:25.359
So we had her name on a stock car for a while, and then she's moved down a division, and she's she's still doing really, really well, and she just ran out of space for us.
00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:30.720
But it was kind of neat, and it went full circle for a little bit that we uh uh were able to sponsor a car.
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:37.200
In fact, we still have part of I think I think it's like an 1884 Monte Carlo body in our storage upstairs.
00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:40.480
It's got our our logo over the rear quarter panel.
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:42.480
So yeah, we we have that in common.
00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:45.119
You know, Midwestern Dirt Tricks, we have that in common too.
00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:48.000
We just we were just at some races a couple of weeks ago.
00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:51.279
It's just if you're in a small town in the Midwest, you gotta do it.
00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.359
Well, I I love your creativity.
00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:55.440
Yeah, just your marketing, it cracks me up.
00:30:55.519 --> 00:30:58.160
But you know, we're we're sports fans.
00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:00.799
You and I both were we're pet band fans.
00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:02.400
You know, my kids were in band.
00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:05.119
We have an amazing music program here in Chamberlain.
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:11.200
I was in the Pride of the Valley Band, marching band in Plat in Grillcrest, Colorado, and all the things.
00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:24.000
And so when I heard what you guys were doing with the Hawkeye band, tell me you uh you made history with an NIL deal for the Brick Kitchen.
00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:24.559
Tell me about that.
00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:34.640
We we were the first company anywhere in the United States to have a name image likeness deal with an NCAA marching band.
00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:55.920
And we had an NIL deal with a melophone section of the University of uh Iowa marching band and just the melophones, because our son our son was a mellowphone at the time too, and he would always, and of course, our son's loves playing around in the kitchen, and Friday night before a home game, he'd make all kinds of snacks, you know, bag them up and everything, and bring them to his section.
00:31:56.240 --> 00:32:00.319
And we would always joke that, you know, because you've got to be careful what you'd say.
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:08.799
So we would joke amongst ourselves that we were the official sponsor of the Meliphone section of the largest marching band in Iowa City, because we couldn't say who.
00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:17.039
And yeah, and all this time, you know, it's just when we're starting to hear about NIL deals, and this was really Shelly that seized on this.
00:32:17.119 --> 00:32:21.519
She said, Well, why can't we have an NIL deal with the marching band or marching band members?
00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:23.519
And we're like, Oh, nobody does it.
00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:25.599
Well, that's not a good enough reason for her.
00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:28.400
So she started calling and she started asking.
00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:32.799
And she got a hold of the director of the University of Iowa Marching Band and said, Why can't we?
00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:33.680
He just kind of giggled.
00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:36.079
He goes, I don't see any reason why you can't.
00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:37.920
So we put this whole thing together.
00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:43.920
We had all the kids uh meet up one night at Iowa City, sign their NIL contracts.
00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:48.559
We were able to give them some money each, a certain amount of credit so they could buy products at the store.
00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:51.680
We used them in some social media, we used them in a TV commercial.
00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:55.759
Uh, we even had t-shirts made with our logo, and on the back it said, I'm with the melys.
00:32:56.000 --> 00:33:06.319
We sold those shirts to a bunch of customers, and from the sales of those shirts, we were able to give them money for uh one of their uh bowl games so they'd have extra spending money to go eat and stuff like that.
00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:08.240
And it was so unique.
00:33:08.319 --> 00:33:14.319
We we we were actually in Sports Illustrated twice for having an NIL deal with the marching band.
00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:25.039
And uh over in the corner of the store we have a big poster with the the Meliphone section, all with her brick kitchen t-shirts on, and all the kids autographed underneath each each particular one.
00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:27.519
Oh my gosh, I love it.
00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:28.880
Oh, I just love it.
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:40.559
I yeah, you know, my daughter did quite a few NIL sports management uh degree, and so she she worked on all of that, and I just remember telling her about it, and she was uh genius.
00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:42.160
I just loved it so much.
00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:42.799
It's so cool.
00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:43.519
If yeah.
00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:52.480
If you if you Google Marching Band N I L, the Sports Illustrated article is almost always the first thing that comes up, and it's right there.
00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:57.839
And the funny thing is that even during the middle of the article, they have a hyperlink to the brick kitchen.
00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:00.559
So you can find our website through Sports Illustrated.
00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:02.480
I don't know of any kitchen stores where you can say that.
00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:04.400
No, I don't think there is.
00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:08.559
And now I which which football team are you a fan of?
00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:10.480
Well, I grew up with Colorado.
00:34:11.199 --> 00:34:11.679
Right, right.
00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:21.440
So in terms of professional football, it's gotta be the Broncos, which I'm I'm right on the edge of South Dakota where there's Vikings fans and then there's Broncos fans of farther west you go.
00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:24.320
So I I tote that that line right there.
00:34:24.559 --> 00:34:27.599
One of these years it's gonna be our year again with the Broncos.
00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:31.760
But of course, South Dakota State in terms yeah, yeah.
00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:34.000
I have yeah, I'm the Vikings fan.
00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:38.079
I have many friends that continuously are uh disappointed.
00:34:38.239 --> 00:34:38.960
So yeah.
00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:41.599
So it's it's it's it's a life choice.
00:34:41.760 --> 00:34:46.400
You know, I just chose, woke up and said, I choose to be disappointed, therefore I'm a Vikings fan.
00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:47.280
Yeah.
00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:52.000
So and then with college, you know, Chisholm met my husband Chisholm at Oklahoma State.
00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:53.440
Our oldest daughter went there.
00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:57.760
And so I got a I'm I'm cowboy fan, tried and true.
00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:00.880
So yeah, we're we're rebuilding that program too.
00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:09.119
So yeah, that's it's kind of it's it's uh gosh, it's a passion, but it's also just painful uh when we get into it like we do.
00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:10.000
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:17.280
Yeah, well, and see I'm having grown up in northern Minnesota, I I still got a lot of gopher feelings running deep.
00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:24.639
So I'm you know, I'm here, we have season tickets to the Iowa Hawkeyes, I always cheer for the Hawkeyes until they play Minnesota.
00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:26.880
And then, you know, it kind of changes a little bit.
00:35:27.039 --> 00:35:33.199
But yeah, I again either gophers, Vikings, Hawkeyes, it's just I'm a glutton for punishment.
00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:47.599
And then and then I have a soccer team in England that I follow, and they are they they are perennial disappointments as well, so it just you know soccer is is one of those things that I I was like, I I think I understand it.
00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:53.119
I mean it's obvious we played it in in PE and in school and all of those things.
00:35:53.440 --> 00:35:55.760
But what is a takeaway?
00:35:55.840 --> 00:36:03.760
You know, we have the World Cup, my favorite show in the world on Apple TV, and we've talked about it is uh Ted Lasso.
00:36:04.079 --> 00:36:04.480
Ted Lasso.
00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:07.199
It is the best show.
00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:08.320
It makes me happy.
00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:10.239
I I want to watch it again and again.
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:27.519
And the teams, how they're made up of I always think about a football program in college where they, you know, there's kids from all over the country, all different walks of life, socioeconomic backgrounds, uh family situations, and building a team with all these guys to work together.
00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:37.519
I never realized that on that world stage of soccer, these are guys from all over the world coming together to play and and building that team.
00:36:37.599 --> 00:36:39.599
I I just it's the coolest, you know.
00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:41.119
I I kind of look into all that.
00:36:41.280 --> 00:36:50.480
But when you, as a soccer coach, uh tell me one thing I need to know to get into soccer and and why is a game so stinking long?
00:36:51.039 --> 00:36:52.639
It kind of loses me a little bit.
00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:54.159
You you know what?
00:36:54.400 --> 00:36:57.119
So a soccer game has two 45-minute halves, right?
00:36:57.199 --> 00:36:58.400
So 90 minutes total.
00:36:58.639 --> 00:36:58.960
Okay.
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:04.960
And then then uh NFL game has uh what, four fifteen-minute quarters?
00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:05.519
Mm-hmm.
00:37:05.920 --> 00:37:06.239
Okay.
00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:12.320
I can go to a soccer game and it'll take an hour less than an NFL game will.
00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:19.039
Because by the time there in in soccer, there's no TV timeouts, there's no commercial breaks, there's no timeouts at all.
00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:22.400
They start the game, they play for 45 minutes, and they end it.
00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:33.519
So you go to a soccer game, you know within two hours, unless unless it's uh unless it's a tournament and there's a forced overtime, you walk into a soccer game, you know it's going to be over in two hours.
00:37:33.679 --> 00:37:39.199
You know, I've been to football games where we've been there for two and a half hours and the fourth quarter hasn't even started yet.
00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:43.599
You know, that's one you know, and if you go to an NFL game, there's so much downtime.
00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:46.079
Or even a you know, a college football game.
00:37:46.159 --> 00:37:51.039
There's so much downtime while everybody at home gets the commercials or you know what's coming up on 60 minutes next.
00:37:51.199 --> 00:37:53.440
But with soccer, it just it just goes right through.
00:37:53.679 --> 00:37:57.840
The thing I try to tell people about soccer is do you understand basketball?
00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:58.159
Yeah.
00:37:58.400 --> 00:37:58.800
Primarily?
00:37:59.440 --> 00:38:01.199
Okay, so it's the same sport.
00:38:01.360 --> 00:38:02.320
It's the same sport.
00:38:02.400 --> 00:38:11.039
In basketball, you get the ball, take it down to the other end, you're moving the ball around, you're trying to get the ball to the person with the better shot or with the best shot.
00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:12.559
Okay, if he makes it, great.
00:38:12.719 --> 00:38:18.079
If you give up the ball, you got to get back on defense, and you gotta make sure that they don't get a good shot.
00:38:18.239 --> 00:38:21.519
And that's basically soccer and basketball are the same thing.
00:38:21.679 --> 00:38:27.760
It's just played, soccer's played on a bigger field, there's 11 guys instead of five, and you're using your feet, not using your hands.
00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:37.039
The frustrating part of it is in soccer, if you make, you know, in basketball, if you make a defensive lap and the other team scores, you're like, okay, I just gotta remember not to do that next time.
00:38:37.280 --> 00:38:39.920
You do that in soccer, it probably costs you the game.
00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:45.440
So defensively, there's much more pressure on doing everything right every time.
00:38:45.679 --> 00:38:56.159
But on an individual basis, you know, uh how you move your feet, how you move your body, you know, how you keep the ball pushing out to the side or pushing in if you're on offense, it's it's the same sport.
00:38:56.400 --> 00:39:02.480
And if you watch it as a basketball player, it's it starts to click and it really makes sense fast.
00:39:02.639 --> 00:39:04.880
That's that's the best way I can say to watch it.
00:39:05.119 --> 00:39:05.519
I love it.
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:06.079
I love it.
00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:09.199
And uh, it cracks me up that I always thought if the games were longer.
00:39:09.360 --> 00:39:11.280
I just need to yeah, that they're not at all.
00:39:11.599 --> 00:39:14.639
Well, um I think people feel that way because there's not as much scoring.
00:39:14.800 --> 00:39:15.039
Yeah.
00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:23.599
You know, but then but then people people watch I think a couple years ago we went to the Super Bowl with five minutes left and it was three to nothing.
00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:27.760
And I remember joking it's like, oh, this sport will never catch on, there's not enough scoring.
00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:43.760
But what what is your takeaway where, you know, in your in your sports background, what do you think you you took going into the kitchen store where you can kind of relate to things in a kitchen store or in your own kitchen at home?
00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:49.280
I think soccer is very similar to this is gonna sound like a strange analogy.
00:39:49.840 --> 00:39:55.440
Soccer is in is very close to cooking and jazz.
00:39:57.119 --> 00:40:08.320
You start off with a plan in mind, and this is the way it's gonna go, and then all of a sudden things will happen and you have to you have to change from your plan and you have to get creative.
00:40:08.559 --> 00:40:16.000
You know, in jazz is like you listen to these guys and they go and do all this creative stuff, and then all of a sudden it comes back somehow, it comes back to the original melody.
00:40:16.159 --> 00:40:26.079
And soccer is that way where it's like everybody's doing what they're supposed to, and all of a sudden you'll get this one guy that makes a brilliant move, and now he's just going you know, one-on-one with the goalie.
00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:40.719
And so that's a thing that in intrigues me about all three is that you're working together, you're all working the same plan, but what really makes the difference is just little pieces of individual flair at just the right time.
00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:48.800
And if you can do that, you know, in cooking with the infused olive oils, you just you know what, at the last minute, I'm gonna change this olive oil.
00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:52.800
Instead of just using a regular cooking oil, I'm gonna use caramelized garlic.
00:40:53.039 --> 00:41:00.400
And instead of regular rosemary, you know, I'm gonna use this mix of you know, rosemary and in and and asiago or something like that.
00:41:00.639 --> 00:41:11.119
And just those little pieces, and all of a sudden you you you take something that's just looked really standard and really ordinary, and all of a sudden it's just that boom, that creative burst of brilliance.
00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:16.400
And you see that in in in all three that just makes you go, wow, where did that come from?
00:41:16.719 --> 00:41:24.079
You know, and it's it's funny, and in in in cooking, I always have those flashes of brilliance, and I didn't write it down.
00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:27.199
And it's like, oh, this is this is the best thing ever.
00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:28.800
Well, what'd you do?
00:41:29.039 --> 00:41:30.159
I don't remember.
00:41:30.480 --> 00:41:31.280
I don't remember.
00:41:31.440 --> 00:41:32.639
I yeah, all the time.
00:41:33.119 --> 00:41:37.199
It's also why I don't like to bake, because it it's too precise.
00:41:37.280 --> 00:41:41.840
You know, I like just tasting and adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that and and all of that.
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:46.480
I I love the the sounds going on in in the background of your store there.
00:41:46.719 --> 00:41:48.880
You said you were working on a Jura area.
00:41:49.199 --> 00:41:51.519
Have you guys sold Jura for a while now or just starting?
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:54.079
No, actually we we haven't even received them yet.
00:41:54.239 --> 00:41:58.239
So we're just uh we're building we've got a countertop that just got put in.
00:41:58.320 --> 00:42:01.519
Um I think what you're hearing is they're doing some work in the basement.
00:42:01.599 --> 00:42:09.039
So along with the other there there's a bike shop in the front half of the building, kitchen store in the back half, there's a brewery in our basement.
00:42:09.360 --> 00:42:12.320
And I think you're hearing them move kegs around down there.
00:42:12.559 --> 00:42:15.199
So our our basement is the home to Allerton Brewing.
00:42:15.280 --> 00:42:21.920
Their tasting room is down the street, but they opened, you know, everybody's everybody's opening these businesses during a pandemic.
00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:31.280
They opened in uh September of 2020, and by March of 21, they'd outgrown their production space.
00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:39.360
So about the time we were opening the store, uh, we had a contractor downstairs remodeling the basement so we could put a brewery in there.
00:42:39.519 --> 00:42:48.880
So there's yeah, there's uh several fermenters down there, there's a canning line, and uh they're the brewmasters down there right now, obviously moving the kegs around.
00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:50.880
That's what you hear clanging and banging.
00:42:52.159 --> 00:42:52.960
It's a busy place.
00:42:53.280 --> 00:42:56.800
More more and more reasons to come visit and uh take a road trip.
00:42:56.880 --> 00:42:58.719
Angie and I have talked about that for years.
00:42:59.039 --> 00:43:08.880
So uh what where else besides in person, if people are going through Iowa and they want to stop in and see you in person, on social media, where can people find you on social media?
00:43:09.360 --> 00:43:11.199
Well, obviously, we do a lot on Facebook.
00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:14.800
It's just the brick kitchen store, um, and then also on Instagram.
00:43:14.960 --> 00:43:17.199
We do a lot on there as well.
00:43:17.360 --> 00:43:30.719
But we're we're we've got so much going on in the st at the store with classes and and different events, and and uh you know, from time to time we we've been hosting oh, book clubs and bachelorette parties, you know, want to do something around the kitchen.
00:43:30.880 --> 00:43:33.760
We've got a big event coming up the first week in June called Demo Days.
00:43:33.840 --> 00:43:39.199
So we're we've always got new content going up on social media, and uh most of it is generated.
00:43:39.280 --> 00:43:43.280
We borrow some from some of our suppliers, but we keep very busy on Facebook.
00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:57.519
And then soon when when we get our new website built, we'll have the tags on the different products where you can go on Facebook and you know, on our social media posts and buy right from there through our website, which was the main reason why we wanted to redesign our website so we can start doing that.
00:43:58.000 --> 00:43:59.760
And I love watching you and Shelly, you do dating.
00:44:01.280 --> 00:44:01.440
Yeah.
00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:03.199
That's got to be very popular.
00:44:03.440 --> 00:44:03.679
Yeah.
00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:03.840
Yeah.
00:44:04.159 --> 00:44:14.320
And I think I think you were I think you were there with us when when that was suggested, because we you know she works full time at um and there's a reason why she's not here.
00:44:14.400 --> 00:44:17.519
She has a full-time job over at um the the bank down the street.
00:44:17.599 --> 00:44:22.400
It's a fairly large regional bank, and uh she's a chief operating officer.
00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:26.079
And because she's always over there, and then I'm always here at the store.
00:44:26.239 --> 00:44:28.639
We never get to work together here very much.
00:44:28.800 --> 00:44:36.880
So we'd always designate Wednesday night, that's the night, I'm gonna stay late, she's gonna come here from the bank, and we're gonna stay and work on the store together, and that's gonna be our date night.
00:44:37.119 --> 00:44:38.719
We just joke about Wednesday date night.
00:44:38.800 --> 00:44:42.559
And uh Laura from In the Kitchen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
00:44:42.719 --> 00:44:43.119
Mm-hmm.
00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:51.599
She had a couple glasses of wine that night, and she was like, Oh my god, you guys gotta start taping that and making that a series on Facebook.
00:44:51.760 --> 00:44:54.639
Oh, no, nobody's gonna want to watch that.
00:44:54.880 --> 00:44:58.400
Well, we did it just to make Laura happy, and now God forbid we miss one.
00:44:58.559 --> 00:44:58.960
I love that.
00:44:59.119 --> 00:45:03.679
And we'll hear about it in the comments the next day, and everybody and with and and then you're one of them, yeah.
00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:09.840
You're uh one of our somebody stopped Shelly at the grocery store the other day and says, I love your show.
00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:11.679
We get that a lot.
00:45:11.760 --> 00:45:12.079
It's funny.
00:45:12.960 --> 00:45:13.519
Oh my gosh.
00:45:13.920 --> 00:45:15.199
Wednesday nights on NBC.
00:45:15.440 --> 00:45:16.320
Wednesday night, yeah.
00:45:16.400 --> 00:45:18.000
Oh my gosh, it's a pretty kitchen.
00:45:18.480 --> 00:45:33.679
As we kind of you know, kind of round down here, I have to always ask what what's an item that you that's in your kitchen that you could not live without uh that you use it every day or it's common or or what's something that that you go to?
00:45:34.639 --> 00:45:40.960
Well, when I saw your your email this morning, first easy answer was my Queas and Art grind and brew coffee machine.
00:45:41.280 --> 00:45:44.079
Because I was just drinking a cup of coffee at the time.
00:45:45.039 --> 00:45:52.320
You know, it's a hard question, it's a hard question to ask, you know, because since the store opened, I don't get to cook every day.
00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:55.679
And that's the one downside of of the store, you know.
00:45:56.079 --> 00:45:59.599
People always comment like, boy, I I bet your meals are fantastic at your house.
00:45:59.760 --> 00:46:04.159
It's like, well, you know, some nights it's a bowl of Cheerios at nine o'clock in front of the TV.
00:46:04.320 --> 00:46:05.360
That's that's our dinner.
00:46:05.519 --> 00:46:13.679
Yeah, I would have to say it's it's probably something really simple like a like a dream farm um mini sapoon or a euro scrubby.
00:46:13.760 --> 00:46:18.159
It seems like I'm always reaching for a Euro scrubby, something to clean up afterwards.
00:46:18.320 --> 00:46:25.920
I've got an eight-inch Keston nanobond fry pan that I I use for eggs just about every morning.
00:46:26.159 --> 00:46:30.079
And that thing is just slicker than all I get out, and it's all stainless steel.
00:46:30.480 --> 00:46:33.360
And I half the time I don't even need a spatula.
00:46:33.599 --> 00:46:35.280
You know, I I just love that thing.
00:46:35.519 --> 00:46:43.840
And you carry Messermeister, I don't know if you carry this particular knife or not, but the uh the eight-inch uh the carbon the carbon knife.
00:46:44.000 --> 00:46:45.440
Oh man, I love that knife.
00:46:45.679 --> 00:46:52.639
And I've got access to you know all kinds of knives, and and you're kind of like you know, when when you're in the business, people will send you stuff for free.
00:46:52.880 --> 00:46:58.800
So I've gotten a lot of good sample knives, but the carbon knife for Messermeister, that's one I bought.
00:46:59.039 --> 00:47:00.480
And I just love that knife.
00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:09.199
I you know, it's because it's carbon, it requires a little more work because you always gotta you gotta wash it right away, you gotta make sure it's completely dry, you gotta add some oil to it.
00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:11.280
But man, that thing is a workhorse.
00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:12.800
I mean it cuts through everything.
00:47:12.880 --> 00:47:14.480
I've had it for about two years now.
00:47:14.639 --> 00:47:18.960
I'll hit it on a honing steel once in a while, and it's still just razor sharp.
00:47:19.039 --> 00:47:20.400
I just love that thing.
00:47:20.639 --> 00:47:22.000
That's my go-to knife.
00:47:22.320 --> 00:47:23.920
Because it's such a guy's knife.
00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:25.039
I mean, just the look of it.
00:47:25.119 --> 00:47:27.840
It's rustic, it's not shiny, it's it's just beautiful.
00:47:27.920 --> 00:47:29.360
It's such a guy's knife.
00:47:29.679 --> 00:47:43.119
It looks like a guy's knife, and we had, and I'm sure you guys do training with your employees too, and we do it from time to time, and and we really felt like, you know, some at the time somebody would come in looking for a knife, and the first reaction was, oh, let me get neat.
00:47:43.360 --> 00:47:46.559
You know, and I I want my staff to be comfortable enough.
00:47:46.639 --> 00:47:56.800
And so we set up a whole bunch of cutting boards, and in each cutting board we put on a whole bunch of vegetables, and then we put a different chef knife all the way around.
00:47:57.039 --> 00:48:05.280
And we had everybody make some cuts, cut a couple things, and then okay, the knife you have, you're gonna pass that to the person on the right, the person to your left is gonna pass theirs over.
00:48:05.360 --> 00:48:09.280
So we went all the way around, and everybody got to try a different knife.
00:48:09.519 --> 00:48:12.239
And of course, my you know, my wife Shelly's right in the middle of that.
00:48:12.400 --> 00:48:16.320
And at the end, I said, Okay, everybody, we went around, everybody tell me your favorite knife.
00:48:16.480 --> 00:48:20.400
And I think of the 12 people there, we probably had seven different favorite knives.
00:48:20.559 --> 00:48:22.800
And when we got to Shelly, she goes, you know what?
00:48:23.039 --> 00:48:25.440
That carbon knife, I never would have picked that.
00:48:26.000 --> 00:48:28.480
We have one at home, I avoid it because it looks scary.
00:48:28.719 --> 00:48:30.559
That is by far and away my favorite knife.
00:48:30.719 --> 00:48:31.840
And now she loves it too.
00:48:32.000 --> 00:48:40.239
But you had to put it in her hand and get her to use it, and yeah, it looks kind of mean, it looks kind of masculine, but when you go to cut it, it's just a knife.
00:48:40.320 --> 00:48:42.639
It just it it's a tool and it does its job.
00:48:42.960 --> 00:48:43.360
Yeah.
00:48:43.599 --> 00:48:45.679
You know, you talk about your coffee maker.
00:48:45.840 --> 00:48:50.480
When when you get your Jura's in, that's going to be your next best thing ever.
00:48:50.639 --> 00:48:51.440
That I can't.
00:48:51.920 --> 00:48:53.840
Yeah, yeah, we love our Jura's.
00:48:53.920 --> 00:48:57.679
And and I have one at home, and I don't think I could live without it.
00:48:57.840 --> 00:49:07.360
In fact, I think if just that coffee, I I I've been tempted to buy a smaller machine if if I'm traveling to have to take with me to that point.
00:49:07.440 --> 00:49:08.880
I mean, it's just that good.
00:49:09.199 --> 00:49:10.559
So uh what else?
00:49:10.719 --> 00:49:22.480
I was thinking about uh, you know, we're apple eaters in our house and things that I can't live without in our kitchen, but I mean there's so many different lines of apple corers and slicers, you know, it just it's such an easy thing.
00:49:22.559 --> 00:49:36.880
You just need a knife, but but it's just something that I we end up grabbing, and I have two or three because there's always one that's dirty and you know, everything else, but the dream farm one that folds flat so it doesn't get caught in your drawer is kind of my new go-to for for that.
00:49:36.960 --> 00:49:39.760
But uh it's my go-to graduation gift for people too.
00:49:40.079 --> 00:49:40.559
There you go.
00:49:40.719 --> 00:49:42.320
Why didn't somebody else think of that?
00:49:42.480 --> 00:49:44.000
You know, I mean there that's a thing.
00:49:44.079 --> 00:49:48.320
There's I walk around the store and there's I catch the sayings to customers so many times.
00:49:48.480 --> 00:49:49.840
Don't you wish you would have thought of this?
00:49:50.079 --> 00:49:50.800
The grip sticks.
00:49:50.960 --> 00:49:52.239
We have these little grips sticks that seal up.
00:49:52.639 --> 00:49:53.280
Yes, we do too.
00:49:53.440 --> 00:49:53.840
Yeah, yeah.
00:49:54.159 --> 00:49:55.119
Why didn't I think of that?
00:49:55.199 --> 00:49:57.760
You know, and then the the the folding Apple stuff.
00:49:57.840 --> 00:49:59.599
It's like I could have done that.
00:49:59.920 --> 00:50:00.320
Right, right.
00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:07.039
But it is and I I know on the podcast too, I'm excited to chat with uh Brynn from Served and our buttery gal.
00:50:07.440 --> 00:50:25.039
Um but I one of the things I really want to dig in with them is okay, so how do you, if you have a product idea, how do you take it from an idea to great success and end up in stores like ours and and kind of ask those questions because one of these days I'm gonna think of something that I I'm gonna need.
00:50:25.440 --> 00:50:29.840
And I always say people come in looking for for certain things and it doesn't exist.
00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:36.159
And it's like it sounds like you have an amazing product idea that that you we need to share with the world.
00:50:36.239 --> 00:50:38.559
So so yeah, oh my gosh, how fun.
00:50:38.880 --> 00:50:48.880
I have to admit, when I saw you in March and you said you had a podcast, like the first thing I did was text Shelly and said, Ah, Cindy's got a podcast.
00:50:48.960 --> 00:50:50.400
Why didn't I think of that?
00:50:50.639 --> 00:50:57.119
Because this is, you know, I mean it's it's broadcasting, it's you know, it's it's it's video, it's this is my jam.
00:50:57.440 --> 00:51:00.719
And Cindy thought of it before I did that.
00:51:02.239 --> 00:51:03.199
There's room for everybody.
00:51:03.360 --> 00:51:03.599
Yeah.
00:51:03.679 --> 00:51:04.239
Oh, I love it.
00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:08.320
But no, I've I've I've I've listened to your podcast and they've been they've been awesome.
00:51:08.400 --> 00:51:09.280
You're doing a great job.
00:51:09.360 --> 00:51:10.480
And and uh that's fun.
00:51:10.800 --> 00:51:13.280
You know, a great great idea, great execution.
00:51:13.519 --> 00:51:16.559
Keep it up, and I hope you have me back sometime.
00:51:16.880 --> 00:51:17.679
Uh of course.
00:51:17.920 --> 00:51:27.360
Can't wait to catch up with you guys soon at another show, but uh I definitely need to make a road trip out and and visit you guys and and hang out in person too.
00:51:27.599 --> 00:51:30.559
So Nate, as always, pleasure.
00:51:30.800 --> 00:51:35.119
Please give my best to Shelly and uh just chat again soon.
00:51:35.440 --> 00:51:36.480
Always fun talking to you.
00:51:36.559 --> 00:51:40.480
I'm you know I'm we miss Cindy this time around, but uh we'll see her again soon.
00:51:40.800 --> 00:51:41.440
Yeah, yeah.
00:51:41.599 --> 00:51:42.639
So it's Angie.
00:51:42.719 --> 00:51:43.679
So yeah, perfect.
00:51:43.840 --> 00:51:45.039
All right, Angie, yeah.
00:51:45.280 --> 00:51:45.920
Yeah, yeah, I know.
00:51:46.239 --> 00:51:47.679
See, that's that it's always Cindy.
00:51:48.480 --> 00:51:54.880
Well, you know, and it's like I have an advantage because nobody gets me confused with Shelly or vice versa, but I I do that with you sometimes.
00:51:55.199 --> 00:51:55.440
I know.
00:51:55.599 --> 00:51:56.400
Well, everybody does.
00:51:56.480 --> 00:51:58.159
We we answer to both constantly.
00:51:58.239 --> 00:51:58.559
So yeah.
00:51:59.119 --> 00:52:00.400
Which one's Laurel, which one's Hardy?
00:52:00.559 --> 00:52:00.800
I don't know.
00:52:01.119 --> 00:52:01.440
Right.
00:52:01.679 --> 00:52:04.400
We've been asked which one's Barry and which one's basil.
00:52:04.719 --> 00:52:06.320
Um yeah, so yeah.
00:52:07.039 --> 00:52:11.920
Uh my my favorite is somebody, some telemarketer called one time and said, Hello, could I speak to a Mr.
00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:13.199
Rick Kitchen, please?
00:52:13.519 --> 00:52:15.440
You know, you're you're way off, buddy.
00:52:15.519 --> 00:52:16.079
You're way off.
00:52:16.480 --> 00:52:16.719
Right.
00:52:16.960 --> 00:52:24.320
We uh Joy curated, you know, obviously the name of the show, but it's our tagline that we had from the very beginning, and our business cards had it.
00:52:24.480 --> 00:52:29.119
And uh we knew that it was a sales call when when people would call and ask for joy.
00:52:29.440 --> 00:52:30.800
Like Joy isn't in today.
00:52:30.880 --> 00:52:32.079
Sorry, she's not available.
00:52:32.239 --> 00:52:35.039
When do you know I'm not sure if she when she's coming in?
00:52:35.199 --> 00:52:35.519
Yeah.
00:52:35.760 --> 00:52:40.719
So and then we have a uh stand that we always hang aprons on, and so that's joy.
00:52:40.880 --> 00:52:41.599
Joy's always there.
00:52:43.440 --> 00:52:46.239
You know, and actually Joy's been in the back room for for too long.
00:52:46.320 --> 00:52:48.559
She was in the window for for all the time.
00:52:48.639 --> 00:52:50.639
We change our jewelry, all that kind of good stuff.
00:52:50.719 --> 00:52:52.559
So we need to bring Joy back out.
00:52:52.880 --> 00:52:54.559
Don't we put joy in the corner?
00:52:54.719 --> 00:52:55.039
Yeah.
00:52:55.199 --> 00:52:55.679
All right.
00:52:56.000 --> 00:52:56.480
Always.
00:52:56.639 --> 00:52:58.000
Thank you so much, Nate.
00:52:58.320 --> 00:52:58.639
Awesome.
00:52:58.719 --> 00:52:59.599
This has been a good time.
00:52:59.920 --> 00:53:00.239
Yeah.
00:53:00.480 --> 00:53:01.360
Thank you for having me.
00:53:01.679 --> 00:53:08.400
You know, what I keep coming back to after this conversation is that line that Nate said about small towns.
00:53:08.639 --> 00:53:13.360
That people in small towns deserve good things just as much as people in larger communities.
00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:15.920
I believe that with everything I have.
00:53:16.079 --> 00:53:25.119
It's why Barry and Basil exists, and it's why I love knowing that there are people like Knight and Shelly out there doing the same thing in Independence, Iowa.
00:53:25.599 --> 00:53:30.800
Find the Brick Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram, and we will link everything in the show notes.
00:53:31.039 --> 00:53:43.920
Follow Joy Curated in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode, and come visit us at Barry and Basil in beautiful downtown Chamberlain, South Dakota, or online at berryambasil.com.
00:53:44.400 --> 00:53:52.800
The show is written and hosted by me, Cindy Peterson, and produced by the beautiful Casey Brown at Teal Hat Communications.
00:53:53.280 --> 00:54:03.440
So until next time, I hope you fill your kitchen with all the things that make life easier and the people that bring a smile to your face.
00:54:05.119 --> 00:54:05.679
Nate.
00:54:05.840 --> 00:54:07.599
Nate, how do you pronounce your last name?
00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:08.480
Whitened.
00:54:08.639 --> 00:54:08.800
White.
00:54:10.480 --> 00:54:11.760
Like the past tense of White.
00:54:13.599 --> 00:54:16.000
So Nate, I've had to explain that my whole life.
00:54:16.320 --> 00:54:16.639
Right?
00:54:17.360 --> 00:54:17.840
Yeah.