New to you (and Portland): Kitchen consignment
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Kitchen Culture owner Traci Hildner in her new shop. Photo: Emily Harris/Axios
Local food entrepreneur Traci Hildner has started something new in Portland: a kitchen-specific resale shop called Kitchen Culture.
Why it matters: Portland is home to fantastic shops with curated consignment clothing, as well as used outdoor gear, books, records and bikes. But used kitchen supplies and cookware have had no shop of their own.
What they're saying: Hildner tells Axios that this felt like "a really Portland-appropriate" business when it quietly opened six months ago.
- "Because there's so many food people here — chefs and just general appreciators of food and farmers and such. But also because we like to recycle here," she said.
How it works: To sell, bring your stuff in and Hildner will price it, with earnings split 50-50.
- She keeps consignment items for 90 days, then gives them back if they don't sell.
On offer: Think practical, durable and everyday: dishes, glasses, flatware, pots, pans, mixers and more. There's a bit of fine china and vintage, a cast iron collection and certain new items, like dish towels and wooden spoons.
- Additionally, there are frequent in-store cooking classes. On the current schedule: Indian street food, salsas and hot sauces, and various ways to preserve fruits and vegetables — Hildner's personal specialty.
Context: Local chain Kitchen Kaboodle runs five shops around town, and while national chain Sur La Table is gone, Williams-Sonoma still has a store in the Pearl and at Washington Square.
- But "there are not a lot of other options, especially on the east side of the river," Hildner says. And consignment is "quite a different price point."
The big picture: Portland's struggles as a city are not lost on Hildner, who says her landlord frequently paints over graffiti on the building.
- "I don't know if it was a good time in the city to open a business, but for me it was the right time," she said.
The bottom line: Kitchen Culture is on the corner of Foster and SE 63rd. Open Wednesday through Friday 11am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 5pm.