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West Pittston’s igourmet.com will open for sales event Saturday

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Andrew M. Seder on Facebook   |   @TLAndrewSeder on Twitter

WEST PITTSTON – Until now, those wishing to order cheese, coffees and other foods from the igourmet.com warehouse had to go online, no matter if they lived in West Pittston or West Virginia. But in a rare move, the specialty foods retailer will open its doors to the public this Saturday.

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Igourmet intern, Kristina Pappas, helps set up products for the company’s first warehouse sale slated for this Saturday at the igourmet warehouse in West Pittston.

S. John Wilkin/the times leader

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For three hours only, igourmet.com will offer shoppers a chance to browse, taste and purchase specially selected items at the company’s warehouse just in time for Thanksgiving. The products will be sold at a “friends-and-family” discounted rate from noon to 3 p.m.

It will be the first time in the 12-year history of the company that the warehouse has been open to the public, and it likely will be the last time for a while, said company founder Spencer Chesman.

“We had a lot of requests,” Chesman said. So company marketing and sales director Lisa Griffiths pitched a proposal to hold a pre-holiday open house. Chesman gave her the go-ahead.

“I do a lot of events, and anywhere I go everyone asks me if they could come down to the warehouse to shop,” Griffiths said. She said this will satisfy some of those requests.

If the event works well, Chesman said it may come back next year around this time, though Griffiths hopes it’s so successful another one can be held around Christmas.

Only a small portion – about 80 to 100 – of the company’s 2,000 items will be available Saturday, including about 25 cheeses. The items will be geared toward the Thanksgiving holiday dining table, including serving dishes and tools, seasonal cheeses and foods. Among them is a cranberry goat cheese.

“That’s a try-it-before-you-buy-it item,” Chesman said with a chuckle, before adding it’s really good and has the consistency of cheesecake.

The sale comes less than two months after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

Igourmet.com filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 5, after sales slowed and the company was not able to access the credit it needed to operate, Chesman said. He said things have rebounded since that time, but like many businesses, “we’re still trying to figure out what’s good in this new environment.”

Shoppers are asked to enter on the Montgomery Avenue side of the warehouse on Saturday. The 66,000-square-foot warehouse is at 508 Delaware Ave. and has been home to the company since 2004.

Griffiths said free gift wrapping will be provided and customers will get a free gift with their purchase.