A KITCHENARIUM ON THE MOVE

A KITCHENARIUM On th e Move

By Adam York

LIME & LOAF EXPANDS WITH NEW COMMUNITY-FOCUSED DESTINATION EXPERIENCE

Let’s open a kitchen store in the middle of a pandemic! Says no one ever, right?

Well, believe it or not, those words were uttered last summer when local business owners Paul and Chrissy Jensen of The Dotted Lime and Kathryn and Adam York of Smith & York Co. decided to join forces and bring to life a local kitchen shop experience in downtown Columbia, Tennessee — Lime & Loaf, a chef-curated kitchenarium for people who love to cook (or just want to look like they know).

And while the tiny store’s opening inside Smith & York Co. might have appeared ill-timed, no one could have imagined the response that was received throughout the past year, as Lime & Loaf experienced tremendous growth and praise from near and far, leading to an expansion and new location in 2021.

PHOTOS BY SAM JENSEN

Both The Dotted Lime and Smith & York Co. have built successful standalone businesses, each with their own unique offerings and dedicated followers. So, how did these two worlds collide? Well, as each business became frequent patrons of the other, the four business owners soon learned that their dreams and goals for growing their businesses had a common thread: The Dotted Lime’s chef-inspired, wholesome foods and culinary expertise and Smith & York Co.’s passion for entertaining guests with well-curated dining and tabletop accessories.

“We had always envisioned opening a kitchen store concept, and we quickly realized in the late spring of 2020 that cooking, eating out, and spending more time at home was starting to take on a new form,” says Paul Jensen. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic led to business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, the Jensens witnessed changes to normal business models fi rsthand. Chrissy Jensen explains, “As people were staying at home with more time on their hands for cooking and baking, we realized there was a need for local access to high-quality chef’s knives, baking tools and accessories, and hard-tofi nd items.” These observations helped affi rm that a void could be fi lled locally with the addition of a retail shop focused on kitchen essentials and gadgets.

AS PEOPLE WERE STAYING AT HOME WITH MORE TIME ON THEIR HANDS FOR COOKING AND BAKING, WE REALIZED THERE WAS A NEED FOR LOCAL ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CHEF’S KNIVES, BAKING TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES, AND HARD-TO-FIND ITEMS.

As the Jensens observed the growth and success happening on the downtown square at Smith & York Co., they were led to share their kitchen retail vision with the Yorks, who just happened to have an unused dedicated space inside their shop and were playing with ideas on how to best utilize it. “We were looking to launch a new retail concept of our own, and the timing was perfect to come alongside Paul and Chrissy with this unique partnership. We never imagined how this pop-up style shop within our store would meet so many needs–especially in a year when in-person shopping looked so different.” says Kathryn York. But, Smith & York Co.’s location and the unusual time in history proved to be the perfect incubation period for the tiny kitchenarium.

HERE WE GROW

With a prosperous fi rst year behind them, the Jensens and Yorks are thrilled to be expanding Lime & Loaf in late summer of 2021, as the business will settle into its new home at 510 North Garden Street within the New South Marketplace complex. “Conveniently nestled next door to Tallgrass Meat Co., Lime & Loaf will soon offer an expanded collection of kitchen items, including small appliances, high-quality knives and cookware, baking essentials, and so much more,” Chrissy explains.

Additionally, Lime & Loaf will also offer monthly cooking classes and demonstrations in its hands-on kitchen, as well as a grab-and-go style café with pre-prepared food selections, baked goods, and more. “We’re excited to offer a destination experience like we haven’t seen throughout the kitchen retail industry. We hope to bring something new, different, and experiential for the community that will even draw visitors from around our region. Above all, we want to make Columbia proud,” affi rms Kathryn. n

Lime & Loaf will continue to operate inside Smith & York Co. until the new space is ready, and you can now shop Lime & Loaf’s collections online at limeandloaf.com.

ADAM YORK is the co-owner of Smith & York Company and Lime & Loaf and is a content marketing director at Green Apple Strategy, a strategic, full-service marketing and PR agency. Learn more about Smith & York Co. by visiting smithandyork.co and Lime & Loaf by visiting limeandloaf.com.