Kitchen Window, the influential independent kitchen and housewares store in Minneapolis, announced today it will close its doors January 15 after 37 years in business.
Doug Huemoeller, president and co-owner of Kitchen Window with Lia Huemoeller, said the decision to wind up the business was personal and internal to the company.
“I am so very thankful for the amazing community of staff, customers and vendors that have all contributed into making Kitchen Window so much more than just a store,” Huemoeller said. “It has been truly inspiring.”
Opening in 1984 as a 1,200-square-foot store with a small demonstration kitchen, Kitchen Window has grown into a 20,000-square-foot store featuring more than 14,000 products, two state-of-the-art cooking school kitchens and an outdoor cooking classroom.
“In our wildest dreams, we couldn’t have imagined what this store was to become and what it has meant to so many people,” said Huemoeller said. “We have hosted hundreds of thousands of guests in our cooking schools — developing skills and sharing the joy of food and cooking. We’ve served customers from every continent, including an uncountable number of Minnesotans. Built an amazing team of dedicated employees that love to learn and shared their knowledge and passion for food and cooking. And developed strong partnerships with hundreds of amazing suppliers. It’s been fun, it’s been a joy and a privilege.”
Huemoeller said a storewide closing sale will begin Black Friday with 20% off nearly everything in the store.
Kitchen Window’s cooking school is set to host a liquidation sale December 2-December 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The sale will include used cooking equipment, cookware, bakeware, cutlery, gadgets, espresso machines and fixtures.
“We’re talking with our suppliers and distributors to make sure we’ll be able to offer customers the very best in kitchen and cooking equipment, exceptional bargains, the unexpected and — of course — the best staff in the industry,” Huemoeller said.
