Sur la Table, another beloved retailer, closes NJ locations

Even if you’re not a gourmet cook or a kitchen supply aficionado, you could probably find something at Sur La Table that interested you. The high-end kitchen accouterments retail chain was packed with so many goodies, and all the things you had to buy for your kitchen and home even though you never knew you needed them. People couldn’t resist walking out with either the latest electric salt shaker or the coolest, quickest state-of-the-art pasta maker.

The thing about Sur La Table is that it was born in the era of Food Network, during which our entire country became obsessed with being at home chefs or at least having their kitchens look like it. Sur La Table had several locations in New Jersey, but any trip I ever made to the Freehold Raceway Mall would include a stop at that location. Even if I didn’t find anything that interested me, I would always find an ergonomic ladle for my sister or a garlic press that my dad would’ve loved. That location closed back in December, as did the location at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus. The next New Jersey stores on the chopping block are in Marlton (at the Promenade at Sagemore) and Lawrenceville (at the Quaker Bridge Mall).

Obviously, Sur La Table, like a lot of the country’s retail stores, felt the pinch when the internet came to be. I mean, who hasn’t found a Chinese knockoff of a Sur La Table mandoline for a quarter of the price (well, OK maybe that’s just me)? But COVID-19 was the last straw.

The company said the closings are “a result of the financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis,” according to an article on USAToday.com. It adds that despite the closing announcements, the company is “not going out of business" and intends "to create happiness for our customers through cooking and sharing good food for many years to come."

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi's own.

More from New Jersey 101.5: