Jessica Jones didn’t grow up in Nashville, but after moving here with her husband in 2015, she quickly saw a need for a dedicated kitchen store—one that didn’t require a drive into Green Hills.
Jen McDonald
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jones moved to Lebanon, her parents’ home country, when she was 21 and got a job working in telecom. Five years later, she met her husband, a Tennessee man who was in the military. They met at a bar in Beirut, hit it off, and after a few short months of dating, moved together back to his home state. Here, Jones started to look around for business opportunities and despite never having worked in the industry, quickly found herself drawn to the idea of a kitchen store—she herself grew up cooking at home with her grandmother, mother, and sister.
“After we found the [Belle Meade] space, I went back to Brooklyn and met with a woman who is now retired after having her own kitchen store for 20 years,” Jones says. “She helped me a lot, and guided me through the various buying groups and trade shows to know about. She was a mentor to me.”
Jen McDonald
Together with her father, who is her business partner, she put the plans in place for The Kitchen, which opened in the Westgate Shopping Center in January 2018. Right as the store was opening, she learned that she was pregnant. So, during their first holiday season this past December, with a baby boy on her hip and very little help in the store, Jones learned quickly what it meant to have a supportive community.
“Our customers saw me go through my pregnancy, and [then] my son was coming to work with me. Now, it’s like they’re part of the store and part of our family,” she says.
More than a store filled with pots and pans, The Kitchen is a mecca of colorful cookware. It’s brightly lit with displays of Le Creuset pots and pans, retro-cool Smeg appliance, first-rate knives, stemware, and just about every type of kitchen utensil and gadget you can imagine. Think kale and herb strippers, shrimp deveiners, apple corers, and so much more.
Jen McDonald
What sets the shop apart is the fully functioning kitchen in the back. Laid out like a home kitchen with an L-shaped island, a cooktop, wide fridge, and double ovens, it’s set up for cooking classes. With seating for 10 to 12 students, the classes are offered about four or five times a month and range from knife skills and basics to indoor grilling and hot chicken at home. A rotating set of chefs come in as teachers, with most classes running weeknights for about two hours.
The other perk of having an actual kitchen on site is that it allows all customers to take the equipment for a test drive.
“Because we can use the tools and cookware here in the kitchen, I often tell customers that they’re welcome to try things out here, or to take home a skillet or a gadget and test it out,” she says.
Jones recently started offering wedding registry services, too. After a consultation and walk through the store, she helps each bride make her list, saying that by seeing the items in person they’re more apt to pick out things they’ll actually use, instead of sifting through websites online. “We talk through what tools they’ll really use throughout their lives,” she says.
Not just for brides-to-be, the store is chock-full of gift ideas. “We have something for everybody. And you can find a gift at any price point,” Jones says.
The Kitchen Nashville, 6035 Highway 100, 615-928-8373; thekitchennashville.com