December 6 — Simple Kitchen has goods for pros and novices

New Sumner kitchen store offers ‘something for everyone’

Roxanne Cooke / of the Herald

Simple Kitchen is a shop for all of the senses.

Shiny cookware gleams in the light, catching the eye. Jazzy music fills the air, replicating the feel of a classy dinner party. Interesting kitchen gadgets invite curious hands.

Images on soup and bread mixes make the mouth water. And although the canisters are sealed, herbs and spices welcome shoppers to investigate and inhale their scents.

The gourmet kitchen store opened on Nov. 23 and has already sold out of a few items, said owner Suzanne Sallander.

“So far, the response has been really good,” said Misty Crosby, an employee at the shop.

Simple Kitchen also offers cookware, bakeware, dinnerware, stemware, tea and linens. Even the music playing is for sale.

Sallander said her shop has universal appeal — it’s not just for serious chefs.

“Everybody’s got a kitchen,” she said.

Kitchen gadgets ranging from an apple corer to a pickle pincher can be used by anyone, Sallander said.

“People like the gadgets – the little things,” Crosby said.

Crosby plans on buying some of the kitchen toys for her 12-year-old son, who enjoys cooking.

While Sallander and her employees are still learning what each gadget does, their customers educate them as well, she said.

“We’re learning quickly,” she said.

For the last five years, Sallander has wanted to open a kitchen store.

With four children and a sit-down dinner every night, cooking is important — and fun — for the Sumner business owner.

“It’s important for me to cook a good meal,” she said. “I love to cook.”

Sallander has owned Simple Tidings across the street for a number of years, but didn’t have space for cooking items.

Simple Kitchen’s name is not just for the connection to Simple Tidings — it expresses exactly what the business is all about, Sallander said. The business slogan is “basics for everyday cooking and living.”

“It’s something for everyone,” she said.

Sallander has been running her own business in Sumner since 1984. With more than 20 years of experience, she said Simple Kitchen offers something unique that will bring more people to Sumner.

“I want to keep Sumner vibrant,” she said.

To Sallander, running two businesses simultaneously isn’t a chore because she loves both so much.

“I have another passion, so lucky for me,” she said.

Simple Kitchen replaced North Star Lending and is located on Main Street.