Edhat Staff
Photos: John Palminteri
By edhat staff
Sur La Table at 821 State Street is going out of business after the chain store files for bankruptcy.
The luxury kitchen goods retailer based in Seattle filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday and announced plans to close 51 of its 121 stores, including the Santa Barbara location.
Fortress Investment Group will purchase approximately 70 of the stores with plans to continue on with its successful retail stores, in-person and online cooking classes, and eCommerce business.
“This sale process will result in a revitalized Sur La Table, positioned to thrive in a post COVID-19 retail environment. Sur La Table will have a balance sheet and retail footprint optimized to position the Company for a bright future that continues our nearly 50-year tradition of offering high-quality cooking products and experiences to our customers,” said Jason Goldberger, CEO of Sur La Table in a press release.
The Santa Barbara location is currently offering 10-30% off all items. The store is expected to remain open until at least August 7, 2020.
REX… the only prices that haven’t gone up hideously in the past 10-15 years are shlock from China. If you want quality US made or EU made products they’ve gotten expensive while fighting the aforementioned shlock. Enjoy your trip to Walmart.
You can pick up Le Creuset (made in France), All-Clad (USA) and Lodge (USA) cookware at HomeGoods for a fraction of the price that Sur La Table charges. I even picked up some Wüsthof (Germany) cutlery there for cheap. The selection is far from consistent and changes constantly. It’s mostly a treasure hunt but well worth the time if you enjoy cooking like me.
At the prices they charged, I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
Yes, the prices were high, but they carried the good quality products, and some of the hard to find products.
OCEANDREW: To be sure, the quality of merchandise is very good, and I understand why Le Crueset, etc., are expensive, but the everyday kitchen items such as potato peelers, potholders, and the like are often (usually?) priced many times higher than other decent stores. There are customers who seriously believe that by paying top dollar they are getting the very best deal, even if the exact same item costs 50% less at Macy’s or somewhere. These customers are Sur Le Table’s target audience. To not realize this is blind naïvete. To refuse to pay top retail price does not translate to being a Wal-Mart shopper.