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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our fantastic city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.
Image via Wide Open Spaces
Kate Schelter is the founder and owner of her namesake brand, where she acts as a creative director, fashion stylist, brand consultant, and on-camera expert. Celebrating its 10th year, Kate Schelter LLC is a full-service agency that advises clients worldwide on the aforementioned tactics and counts Zac Posen, Saks Fifth Avenue, TOMS and Assouline as clients. Here, she shows us where she channel her inner Mario Batali in Union Square.
I love to cook and make things by hand. I used to live on Gramercy Park and I stumbled across this practically unmarked gem, Broadway Restaurant Supply. What I found were floor-to-ceiling industrial size mixers, butcher-block cutting boards, and knives galore. It's culinary heaven. It has stock pots big enough to bathe in and fortunately for me, it also has all the normal size pans, mixing bowls, china, forks, salt and pepper services, and tea steepers.
Of course, I prize myself on splurging on the good stuff when I find it (filling my suitcase with copper pots from Dehilleron in Paris), and the usual Le Creuset and All Clad collection, but the truth is: I'm a sucker for a deal. And I like to have real tools, not gimmicky props when I'm cooking. This is the equivalent of a wonderful, threadbare art supply store for cooks. It has every tool for the trade in shiny stainless steel and also quirky things you'd never find at Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table (and for a fraction of the price.) They let you browse and dig and they don't bother you. It's not quite as intimidating as the restaurant suppliers on The Bowery. If you want to authentically trick out your kitchen while rubbing elbows with sous chefs then this is your place."
· Broadway Restaurant Supply [Official Site]
· Kate Schelter [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]
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