Gourmet Girls is taking back tradition with a new gift registry program
Lately, we’ve noticed something alarming: Toilet brushes have taken the place of crystal pitchers on wedding gift registries. You heard us right. As registries have migrated online, as so much shopping has in recent years, it seems that the fanciful items–from silverware to serveware–that once made up newlyweds’ must-have lists have fallen by the wayside.
Where is the patterned casserole dish? The linen napkins? The china?
Gourmet Girls’ owner Katia Mangham isn’t content to let toilet brushes take over (thank goodness). She’s expanding her retail to offer a curated registry program filled with modern and vibrant takes on age-old favorites like china, stemware and serveware.
“The registry idea organically came to be,” she explains. “Working with brides through my catering, I noticed a lot of the girls weren’t registering for crystal, silver or china. They said everything just seemed too old-fashioned.”
Her most recent find is a direct challenge to that idea. Richard Ginori’s Ginori 1735 “Oriente Italiano” china brings a playful and exciting twist to the practice of picking a pattern. Made for mixing and matching (with the company owned by none other than Gucci), the plates, each in a different vibrant shade, are meant to reimagine in-home dining, a welcome idea in the age of COVID-19.
“Entertaining at home has become more of a thing,” Mangham says. “But for me, china is something that can, and should, be used for every day. I wanted to bring something to customers that can be casual or dressed up, and it’s great to add to what you already have.”
In addition to the china itself, Mangham will also be carrying serveware and other items like espresso mugs in the playful pattern. But don’t expect a full inventory of any brand. Rather than bombard shoppers, Mangham says the advantage to her registry program is that it is highly curated, containing only the items that she believes are worth the investment.
“I am only going to offer what I think is exceptional,” she says, noting that customers can register for anything from the colored stemware to the salad servers that make up the retail section of Gourmet Girls’ Lobdell Avenue location. “And it’s not just for brides, either.”
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After many years with her own china pattern, she says anyone and everyone deserves a refresh. Gourmet Girls’ registry is open to newlyweds, single people and those who have been married for decades, allowing husbands, moms and grandmothers to know exactly what to purchase, especially in the upcoming holiday season.
“I love the idea of collecting a little at a time,” Mangham explains, noting that her collection of china has grown over the years, not just giving her many different tablescape options, but creating memories that can easily be shared as meals are prepared upon them. “Plus, this is a way to shop locally and get something truly amazing. It’s a win-win.”
Gourmet Girls’ gift registry offerings can be shopped in-store at 1660 Lobdell Ave. Follow along on the store’s social media for updates and offerings.
