SHOP
From left to right: Designed For Joy co-founders Kristen Sydow and Cary Heise
Howard Margulies, Eric Margulies and Alisha Dreese.
the SUPPLY SIDE United Restaurant Equipment Company serves professionals and home cooks alike to support the Triangle’s culinary scene by NOOR AZEEM photography by JOSHUA STEADMAN
F
rom kitschy food trucks to rooftop bars to cozy restaurants, chances are United Restaurant Equipment Company had a hand in bringing those visions to life. United Restaurant Equipment Company (URECO) is a family-run business, three generations in, that’s entrenched in the local Raleigh community in a way few other businesses are. And when you step through the front doors of the no-frills, 15,000 square foot showroom on South Saunders— marked by a jaunty retro statue of a waiter at the front door—
you can’t help but feel that connection, too. In 1952, Jesse Margulies, home from serving in World War II, bought Steinberg’s furniture store on Wilmington Street and transformed it into URECO. By 1957, they had already outgrown the space and moved to the current location. Originally a horse barn, Margulies bought it and promptly ripped out the stalls, making way for the inventory to come, and the family has expanded it twice since. “You immediately know you’re in an old building. You get this feeling of nostalgia when you walk in, NOVEMBER 2020 | 37
