The Green Kitchen....Almost Done

I love big sales events. All the projects for Innovation 08 have to be completed by Friday at 5 PM, so it is fun to watch the mad scramble. Although we have revamped 3 displays, hung about 75 new fixtures and added about 40 new appliances, my favorite is this Green Kitchen.

Have a look:



I like it, because the lighting creates the environment. The bamboo pendants look great and they use 13 watt fluorescent bulbs. The recessed is 12 watt LED instead of 100 watt incandescent. This kitchen dispels the notion that fluorescent is ugly or LED is too dim. To encourage people to embrace this new technology, we will be selling any fluorescent or LED product at 10% off this weekend.

Just for fun...Look at this kitchen in stages.

Chinese Pros

Part of what people will see this weekend at Innovation 08 are prototypes and brand new products unseen by consumers. NXR is the first professional range imported from China. It seems to have good specifications and an unbelievable price at $1999.

Because we are the servicer provider, I am concerned about initial quality. At a 20-30% discount versus competitive products, NXR will certainly not be the last company to manufacture in China

Have a look

Innovation 08: Outlet

As most know, we have a pretty liberal return policy. We do not charge restocking fees, if a consumer makes a mistake. Of course, this adds a piece or two per day. We are now dedicating the first floor of our store to these open units.


The Yale Outlet will be open on Saturdays only from 9-11 starting this Saturday...Have a look.

Innovation Carbonation

In our zest to display the latest and greatest for this weekends event(dubbed by our GE rep Innovation 08)....We bring the worlds first and only carbonated beverage dispenser. My girlfriend drinks carbonated water, and I am not a fan.

The Everpure is different, because the water is fresh, light and tasty.

Have a look...

Run Some Track

For task applications, there are really only two applications; recessed and track lighting..For years track was the less attractive of the two. In the late 80s, manufacturers started using the smaller low voltage(MR) bulbs, so the actual fixtures are more streamlined and a lot less bulky than their earlier counterparts.

Then a company named Tech Lighting started accessorizing with stainless rail and multiple colors and pendants, so track became almost an art...Have a look.

The Green Kitchen Stage 2

Look at this almost completed kitchen. As I have said
in previous posts, this will be a totally Green kitchen....But what is involved for a kitchen to be called Green?

Lets look:



Counters: Marble chip or recycled marble.



Tile: Actually recycled sea glass.



Cabinets: MDF particle board with a wood laminate front...Looks pretty good.



Floor: Bamboo..as I have said in the last post bamboo is sustainable and grows back in about a year.

Appliances: Bosch Energystar

Lights: When installed, the fluorescent pendants and LED undercabinet lights will emit about 50 watts...Not bad when you consider the incandescent equivalent will be about 600 watts.

How to Buy Appliances...Part 9

Look at this person for a second:



If you are shopping for a new kitchen, you are about to have a 3-6 month relationship with one of these people. He/She is your salesperson(or about to be).

You are not shopping at Sears, Lowes, Best Buy or even Yale. You are shopping with this person. He/she will recommend products, interface with your builder, contractor, electrician and cabinet person, schedule your deliveries and straighten any issues. He/She is the face of your experience.

A few questions to consider before placing an order(that is the best time to ask).

1. Are they knowledgeable? With the internet, consumers have become better informed, but everyone needs help form an informed and neutral third party...which brings us to the next question.

2. Are they actually neutral? There are some heavy direct incentives being thrown around, especially by lesser known companies. So if you are being steered...it is a reason for concern...(we do not carry unknowns or allow extra direct payments to our associates. In these cases, we will cut the price by the extra incentive).

3. How good are they at returning calls? But wait there is more...If they are off, do they have someone to assist? You will have plumbers and electricians in your home. Waiting around for a return call will cost you money.

I could delve into dress and overall deportment, but that might be unfair. Personally, I think salespeople should dress and behave in an overall professional way towards their guests, but most people think I am somewhat strict.

Electrolux Part Three

I already posted a review on this range, but it is particularly note worthy.



18,000 BTU(if your range is 8 years or older, then this range is twice as powerful). convection, two ovens, an incredibly low 450 BTU simmer and really intuitive controls.


The rest of the line for now:

French Provincial Ranges

Lets have a post about something other than stainless steel. The Europeans actually have different styles of products...For simplicity , lets call them French Provincial.

Perhaps the most famous is AGA. It is also English. Designed for farmhouses in Northern England, this range also serves as a heater as well. AGA employs natural convection instead of fans and is actually a great stove to use. Then again it is $20,000 and up, so it should be part of the expectation.



But what if you want the look of French Provincial without spending the money. AGA manufactures a lesser featured range as does Bertazoni. Two great options in the upscale, but not stainless steel market.

The Aesthetic Value of LED Lighting

Have a look at this cornice.





The difficult part about ambient(aka up lighting) has always been the fixture. The idea is easy. However, lights require bulbs, which require fixtures and so on..Typically unless there is a lip, you will see light and the fixture, which is aesthetically unpleasing.

What if there could be light without a fixture? In our previous posts, we have discussed the energy efficiency of LED. It is more efficient than any other light source. A 3-5 watt LED is about as efficient as a 50 watt incandescent bulb. LEDs also do not emit any heat and are cool to the touch(the outer skin of an incandescent will heat to 300 degrees)

But look at the design options of having a light without a housing....

The True Cost of Appliances

The answer to that question is: I don't really know anymore. One of the minor benefits to any economic downturn is pricing becomes more flexible from manufacturers to consumers. In our industry, this is manifested in rebates. Even car companies are not as bold as appliance manufacturers in rebating products.

Even a brand like Bosch is not aloof anymore. Have a look at the pictures below.



You are looking at a double oven with convection, integrated dishwasher, over the range microwave hood and gas cooktop. What was $5,200 last year is now $3,999 after rebates.

The Best Gas Slide In ranges

Slide in ranges were once dominated by JennAir and Frigidaire...Frigidaire for price and JennAir for quality. In the last few months, there seems to be many more choices including a brand new Electrolux range as well as GE Cafe.

But which one is best?



I look at this 2 ways. Which range has the best features, and then the best overall kitchen package


Frigidaire: Still the best price with power burner, warming drawer and convection. Great rebates depress the price further when adding more pieces, but choices for refrigeration are limited

JennAir/KitchenAid: Still great names with great features. Although they are not the newest and therefore the "hottest", JennAir/KitchenAid have great kitchen packages with very good dishwashers, french door refrigerators and tons of rebates.

GE Cafe: Great specs with 4 burners, a griddle burner and finally some very good complimentary pieces. GE does not have an especially robust rebate program, however, and is more expensive than comparable pieces.

Bosch: Great name, but the range is just ok...However, Bosch has never been more affordable.

Electrolux: Great style and great features...18,000 BTU burner with the best simmer and 2 ovens. However, a tough range to package in an overall kitchen. Still this is a product worth considering.

Bronze Vs. Stainless

Same JennAir kitchen...two pictures.



Stainless has become the high end finish, and this picture illustrates the reason. It is a brighter, cleaner match than white, black, bisque or almond. The proprietary finishes like Viking Blue, Wolf carbon or Bertazoni red are too limited to become the standard.

What do you think?

Ge Cafe..Part 2

GE is a funny company. Rather than rebrand with new names, they use their own name and then rebrand...Their best appliances became GE Monogram and their second best is GE Profile.

Their latest iteration, GE Cafe(who thinks of these names), is arguably their most successful. Cafe is full featured, commercially inspired products that seem to market to the premium segment of the market.

As successful as the line has been, it is strangely limited. The most notable exception has been a french door, shallow depth refrigerator. Its an odd omission because, french doors now outsell regular side by sides by 6 to 1.


Well now the GE Cafe french door is now available.








The rest of the line(for now):

Innovation 2008 May 17-18

Our GE representative, Ron Vecchia, said to me a couple of months ago..."You know Steve, with so many new products, you should have an event. Call it like Innovation 08 or something catchy like that"...and so we shall May 17 and 18. We will have a weekend showcasing new products

There is a tremendous amount of new products becoming available in this industry now. It was not always this way. Like the car industry, the major players and products were unchanged for probably 50 years.

Then, a few new trends just started seemingly out of nowhere. A few KitchenAid executives believed that people wanted to cook as professionals and started a company now known as Viking. The European companies imported much quieter and efficient water products. Unlike the car companies, the domestic manufacturers actually started producing better and more competitive products.

Now more companies are designing better appliances. Pictured are brand new products(on display for less than 2 months)

New Bosch Laundry

Happy Monday.....

Most urban dwellers have a problem in placing laundry in their unit. 20 years ago, you bought a Whirlpool Thin Twin, which was only 24 inches wide and 68 inches tall. Unfortunately, this allowed enough internal space for a shirt a couple pair of socks and maybe a pair of pants.

Then the Europeans imported their 2 piece machines. It used less water and held more clothes, because it was a front load machine with no agitator.



Miele, Maytag(built by Samsung), Whirlpool(built by Eurotech), Asko and Bosch have machines catering to this market, all with similar specifications.

Until now, Bosch has just started marketing a deeper machine with greater capacity.



Instead of 2.0 cubic foot, the new Bosch is now 3.4 cubic feet.

Yale PSA: Help Wanted

We have won Best of Boston 7 times, Readers Choice and The Green Awards. Its great recognition and an honor without question. However, last year we won the "Best Places to Work" by the Boston Business Journal, and we were the only retailer to do so.

In my opinion, this award truly is reflective of the culture of Yale. I honestly believe you cannot preach great customer service without first taking care of your people. We have always offered great pay. Our benefits package is within the top 7% nationally. I like this company, because it is large enough to offer security and small enough where you can make a difference. In a time where everyone changes jobs every couple of years, our turnover is less than 1% annually.

Hiring for Yale has been tough, because our process is so thorough. We would rather hire from outside the industry and train extensively than hire from our field. Most HR directors think we are crazy, but I want people with good attitudes and good people skills.

So if you know a really decent person looking for a very good job, then have him/her send me an email.

The Return Of Gaggenau?

Back in the 1980s, if you wanted to buy an upscale kitchen, you purchased a SubZero refrigerator and probably Gaggenau appliances. They had very precise cooking modes and were designed by Bang and Olufson, the elite stereo firm.

Lets flash forward to 2004, and the brand is almost dead. Why, because it was the same product as 20 years ago. All of a sudden, the cutting edge look is dated, their sizes are smaller and the burners are not as powerful. Happens when you spend zero on product development for almost 20 years.

Someone on Germany has awoken, because their new wall oven is decent. I like the side opening door, as it allows easy access to your food(as well as being ADA approved). The look is updated as well.

New Lights Part 2

As you know from previous posts, we buy new lighting in January and update the showroom accordingly. How do we know what products are shipped and when?

You cross your fingers and hope. Probably 30% of the new products ordered are never shipped. The software industry has a term for this. Its called vaporware.

Most of the following visuals are decorative lighting. For the newer readers, decorative lighting is typically chandeliers and wall sconces. When I was a young lad, I was taught a light should be proportional. More specifically, 12 inches less in diameter than the table.

This is not really the case. A good lighting plan involves task, ambient, accent and decorative lighting. Additionally, with less formal styles and the merging of dining and living spaces, decorative lighting can really be any size or style.

Rebates Versus Sales

I will not run a sale in this store to acquire a new customer at the expense of an old one. Won't happen. We look at cell phone companies and other deal of the month offers, and they alienate their core customers. Then they complain about loyalty.

We have always invited our older customers to sales events before announcing to the general public. Our best events are private invitation only and are never advertised.

Rebates, however, are another topic. April should be called "massive rebate month" as manufacturer and buying group rebates seem to collide now....In May, most of these offers expire. Following are the most heavily incentivized products in laundry.....


Basic Frigidaire Front loader: Ftf530/Feq332 $699 after an instant $250 April rebate.




Maytag Epic Mfw9700/Med9700: $1349 after $300 rebates, $250 is instant April rebates.




Bosch Wfmc8400/Wtmc8320: $1599 after $450 in rebates, $250 is instant April rebates.