Jan 13, 2012

Kitchenware Industry Vet Opens Retail StoreBy GourmetRetailer.com

McKinney, TX – After years of advising independent kitchenware retailers across the country, Karen Chandler opened her own kitchenware store, Kitchenwares on the Square, in McKinney, Texas, in September.

For more than eight years, Chandler has worked in the gourmet kitchenware industry, helping the independent retailer stay competitive in today’s marketplace. Most recently she worked with Gourmet Catalog, the Dallas-based buying group. While there, she was instrumental in bringing exclusives and direct import products to the independent retailer. She also worked for cutlery company Zwilling J.A. Henckels.

When talking about why she decided to open her own store, Chandler mentions her many life-long friends in the housewares industry, and the industry itself, which she sees as a growing market. She admits her new career as a kitchenware store owner has given her a different perspective on the world of independent retailing. “Becoming an independent retailer has allowed me to gain a whole new respect and understanding to what the independent retailer needs to remain successful,” says Chandler.

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