The Cupboard Keeps Things Fresh and Local in Fort Collins since 1972

At The Cupboard in Fort Collins, Colorado, staff have been employed there for decades, some more than 25 years. The kitchenware store has been a part of the city for 43 years now and keeps things fresh by allowing around 15 staffers to also act as buyers for areas throughout the 6,500 square foot retail space. As much as the employees feel a sense of ownership in the store, so too do the locals, since it has been located downtown from its inception and also carries a wide array of local foods.

Owner Jim Hewitt credits the buying process at The Cupboard for helping employees stick around long-term. Given the autonomy to bring in new products, and weed out those that don’t work, the buyers have a slice of the store that is their sole responsibility.

“Our average staff member has been around for 12 years, so we have staff that have been here 30 years, 25 years,” says Hewitt. “People have stuck around the store a long time and we attribute that to paying decently, treating people well, having flexibility with schedules, but also giving people responsibility. We have people that have real ownership in the store because they buy for a certain area … Collectively, these buyers would do a better job than me if I felt like I had to do everything.”

Hewitt says things have been set up this way since the beginning, allowing for a constant stream of fresh products that keep customers coming back to see what’s new. Those returning customers have also played a part in shaping The Cupboard.

Hewitt’s father, Carey Hewitt, originally started the business in 1972 seeking to fill a niche in Fort Collins by selling pottery, baskets, wooden spoons, some knives, teak bowls and other artisanal type items. He listened to repeated requests for the spoons and knives, which were items previously not found in Fort Collins at that time, and brought those items in for customers. Then in 1978, he attended the Gourmet Products Show in San Francisco and, after that, ultimately decided to change the direction of the store to focus on kitchenwares.

From there, the elder Hewitt ordered products he saw at the show and thought would be successful. He read magazines, listened to customers, paid attention to national trends, and continued to build on the products that sold well. It was a time when small kitchen appliances were hitting their stride and home cooks were interested in unique gadgets. The Cupboard began with a couple thousand dollars, 1,200 square feet and grew from there, eventually moving locations in 1978 to where it currently remains, two expansions later.

Hewitt worked at the store with his father for the last eight years, becoming part owner in 2009, and then the sole owner as of last year. He grew up in Fort Collins and has been around The Cupboard his whole life, now he aims to continue to give customers the same special experience that has kept them coming back for so long.

“Dad has been at it a long time. He’s done it well for a long time and he is ready to retire and slow down a little bit,” says Hewitt. “I’ve been working at the store for almost eight years now and really fell in love with the business aspect of it. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to continue this business that my dad has started and run so well for a long time. It’s a great opportunity and it’s fun to try to see how we can continue to do it better, but then also do it built on the same principles that dad had from the very beginning.”

While the principles may be the same, the operation does differ a bit between father and son. “My dad and I, we operate in different ways. He’s run an amazing business using yellow pads of paper, and I just instituted a point of sales system because I like the information and I am familiar with computers. I changed the store that way, but I like to think that the store continues to be successful because it’s run similarly to the way my dad ran it,” says Hewitt.

Part of the success of the store also has to do with a large product mix that includes sections of the store dedicated to gourmet foods, tabletop, cookbooks, kitchen linens, small electrics, and all the other kitchenware categories you would expect. Gadgets are the top selling product with lines like Charles Viancin, e-cloth, and Garlic Twist being popular. The healthy living crowd thrives in Fort Collins, and juicers, spiralizers and blenders are also popular items.

Food comes in second after gadgets, earning that spot through a large portion of the store that is devoted to a great variety of gourmet food, including many that are locally produced. The Cupboard sells locally roasted coffee, like Jackie’s Java, by the pound and has a coffee club where customers can buy 10 pounds and receive one free. With over 30 different coffees to choose from, Hewitt says it brings regulars in on a weekly basis. There is a chocolate case located near the front of the store that is loaded with chocolates, some from a Colorado chocolatier, Robin Chocolates, and toffee from the local Vern’s Toffee House, plus petits fours from California’s Divine Delights. The Tea Table provides local teas and Patty’s Pantry supplies local preserves and jams, to name a few.

With 10,000 square feet total, consisting of the retail space that has an upstairs section, a full kitchen for demonstrations, offices, and inventory storage, The Cupboard has a team of 30 employees, including a small display team for visual merchandising.

“We try to keep it interesting; we try to change it up,” says Hewitt. “We rotate our displays around very regularly and customers do come in and say, ‘I just want to come in and see what’s new at The Cupboard or how it looks.’ The visual merchandising really does keep people coming back for more.”

Beyond that, Hewitt points to the shop positioning itself as an expert in kitchenwares to become an established local treasure.

“People are really looking for an education and for us to be knowledgeable,” says Hewitt. “As an independent store, one of the ways we can really compete with big box stores and the Internet is by our customer service and by our knowledge. We hope to be considered experts in the area of kitchenwares and food, and people from the community realize that, and they will come in when they have questions or if they just want to buy something for somebody.”

This story was originally published in the July 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.