Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
A brand new cookshop-cum-coffee-shop is to open in Okehampton, Devon, just in time for the Christmas season.
Behind the venture, called Toast, are Jonathan Farrington and his wife Hilary, whose past experience is in hotels, catering and retail. The new business will open its doors for the first time on Monday December 5.
Hilary Farrington told HousewaresLive.net that they had chosen a “lovely, big old Edwardian cinema” for their premises. “And we’re opening the cookshop together with a coffee shop so that the products can be used in the coffee shop and bought in the cookshop. We just love food and cooking, so the two things go hand in hand!”
The Toast cookshop will offer a broad selection covering bakeware, cookware, tableware, kitchen knives, coffee machines and other small appliances, tools and gadgets, cookbooks and general kitchenware accessories.
Main suppliers include Robert Welch, Emma Bridgewater, Horwood, Hahn, Garden Trading and Sophie Allport.
The Farringtons also have plans for additional services. For example, the cookshop will make imaginative use of the Eat Toast coffee shop and their proximity to Dartmoor by offering to combine hampers and picnicware with food and drink for customers.
With an eye on the gift trade, the business will also sell wrapping paper and cards. Once customers have made purchases in the cookshop they can relax in the coffee shop while they are being gift wrapped.
In addition, gift vouchers will be available for both EatToast and the cookshop.
Toast has plans too to be a multi-channel business by putting its full offer online. “We’re looking to achieve an ecommerce website next year,” Hilary Farrington said. Customers will also be encouraged to sign up for Toast’s email newsletter.
