Red Hot: Copper's Popularity Goes Mainstream
By Laurie Brookins
Saturday, January 1 2000
Saturday, January 1 2000
Published on AllBusiness.com
Catherine Elwell uses her copper skillet pretty regularly. Sure, she's had it retinned once or twice, but considering the skillet was handcrafted around the time of the Revolutionary War, that ain't bad.
As owner of La Belle Cuisine in Allentown, Pa., Elwell's passion for collecting copper translates well into the store's copper sales. "I have a love affair with copper that I work every day to impart to my customers," she says. "Where else can you find something that gets more beautiful as it ages, gives you the most efficiency, helps your cooking, and when it's just sitting in your kitchen adds a warmth to the room? Copper has never been a fad — it's the past, the present, and the future."
Mainstream America seems to be catching on to the affection for copper expressed by Elwell and the many other aficionados who have embraced the metal since Julia Child ushered French cooking into American homes in the '60s. Indeed, given the metal's prominence in both product categories and retail channels these days, one thing about copper is clear: It's not just for gourmets anymore.
Copper, Copper Everywhere
While copper always has maintained its gourmet following, its mainstream popularity has tended to be small and cyclical. But thanks to the enduring focus on shelter trends, the growing sophistication of the American palate, and the wealth of product introductions in copper finishes, the metal lately has become a major player in both kitchen design and consumer interest.
"It's probably one of our biggest departments, both in our sales and in the amount of space we devote to it in our stores," says Gayle Novacek, buyer for Sur La Table, the 13-store specialty chain and mail-order operation based in Seattle. "And while cookware, cookie cutters and some other copper categories have always combined to make a major statement about our business, I think one of the biggest trends is the number of new categories entering the copper arena. Small kitchen appliances are probably the best example. So you're beginning to see that copper is breaking out into other areas of the kitchen, and for those of us who love it, that's really exciting."
Indeed, with copper also making its way onto everything from blenders to stand mixers to stove hoods to countertops to formal dinnerware these days, is it giving that other metal a run for its money?
"I don't think it could ever replace stainless, and I don't think it will ever be a runaway in the market, but I think copper's place in the American mindset is growing," Novacek says. "What we're seeing is that people want really good quality in everything they're buying, no matter whether it's something like knives or cookware. People are willing to learn about a product so they can have a better
As owner of La Belle Cuisine in Allentown, Pa., Elwell's passion for collecting copper translates well into the store's copper sales. "I have a love affair with copper that I work every day to impart to my customers," she says. "Where else can you find something that gets more beautiful as it ages, gives you the most efficiency, helps your cooking, and when it's just sitting in your kitchen adds a warmth to the room? Copper has never been a fad — it's the past, the present, and the future."
Mainstream America seems to be catching on to the affection for copper expressed by Elwell and the many other aficionados who have embraced the metal since Julia Child ushered French cooking into American homes in the '60s. Indeed, given the metal's prominence in both product categories and retail channels these days, one thing about copper is clear: It's not just for gourmets anymore.
Copper, Copper Everywhere
While copper always has maintained its gourmet following, its mainstream popularity has tended to be small and cyclical. But thanks to the enduring focus on shelter trends, the growing sophistication of the American palate, and the wealth of product introductions in copper finishes, the metal lately has become a major player in both kitchen design and consumer interest.
"It's probably one of our biggest departments, both in our sales and in the amount of space we devote to it in our stores," says Gayle Novacek, buyer for Sur La Table, the 13-store specialty chain and mail-order operation based in Seattle. "And while cookware, cookie cutters and some other copper categories have always combined to make a major statement about our business, I think one of the biggest trends is the number of new categories entering the copper arena. Small kitchen appliances are probably the best example. So you're beginning to see that copper is breaking out into other areas of the kitchen, and for those of us who love it, that's really exciting."
Indeed, with copper also making its way onto everything from blenders to stand mixers to stove hoods to countertops to formal dinnerware these days, is it giving that other metal a run for its money?
"I don't think it could ever replace stainless, and I don't think it will ever be a runaway in the market, but I think copper's place in the American mindset is growing," Novacek says. "What we're seeing is that people want really good quality in everything they're buying, no matter whether it's something like knives or cookware. People are willing to learn about a product so they can have a better
