The Cook Shop

by James Maddox
February 6, 2010

The Cook’s Shop’s co-owner, Ken Kupsche, said that getting Marietta’s newest storefront up and running all goes back to the construction of 180 Front Street in 1912.

“People that walk in the door have no clue that this space even existed, because the façade was bricked up and the windows were boarded since 1936,” said Kupsche. “And the few that had been in here remembered it as being cold and dark, with holes in the floor. Kind of scary.”

Although all of the above is why it took so long to rehabilitate the retail space, one of the things that intrigued Ken and his wife Dagmar was that it still had the old tin ceiling and the original floors.

“We wanted to keep all that, wanted to keep the character of the space, and to do that takes a lot of time and effort,” said Kupsche.

As for what to put into the building, the Kupsches decided on a common hobby: Cooking. As Ken’s background is retail, he said running a retail shop such as The Cook’s Shop was an easy thing to roll into.

“We wanted to do something that we both enjoyed. Something that we both had an interest and a passion in,” said Kupsche. “Because I learned a long time ago, if it’s not fun and you don’t have fun doing it, then there’s no reason to mess around with it.”

Kupsche also said he wants to keep the store as affordable as possible for local shoppers.

“We have people who will shop online, then come here and they’ll be looking at the same price points or better. We’ve purposely tried to do that,” said Kupsche. “We’re a ‘Ma & Pa’ store and we’re going to try and make it here in town based on that pricing structure.”

The Cook’s Shop owners also believe it is important to promote items that are made in the USA, so the business has tried to get as many American-made products on their shelves as possible. These products range from kitchen gadgetry to cutlery to gourmet herbs and spices.

Starting in February or March, Kupsche said the shop will be offer cooking demonstrations and classes for their customers. Classes will be hosted by local chefs and some sales representatives, and will be limited in number—probably somewhere between 12 and 20 people. Classes will be held week nights and will likely take place twice a month.

The Cook’s Shop is located at 180 Front St., and can be reached by phone at (740) 538-6003. The store’s hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday.