CHANGE MY LOCATION
Penzeys spices up D.C. area with Rockville store
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: Rockville
Rockville (Map, News) - D.C. home cooks clamoring for five types of cinnamon, six types of sausage seasoning and nine types of curry powder now have a place to indulge their culinary desires.
Penzeys, a national spice chain known primarily through its catalogs and online merchandising, opened its first branch in the D.C. area in Rockville a month ago and has another planned for Falls Church.
“It’s the first metropolitan area where we’ve opened more than one store at the same time,” Penzeys spokeswoman Margie Gibbons said.
The store prides itself on offering a wide selection of fresh spices at affordable prices, Rockville store manage Bob Liebel said Friday. “We place an order every week, and we’re not allowed to keep anything in the store for more than for three weeks.”
Popular selections include the store’s Foxpoint blend, which combines shallots, chives, garlic, onions, salt and pepper.
“It goes well with everything but ice cream,” said Liebel, who has tried it on every type of meat, and in omelets and sour cream.
The store provides free recipe handouts throughout the store to encourage customers to branch out and try new things, such as a Zatar spice blend from the Middle East or the Indian spice charnushka.
The company sent out 6,000 postcards to catalog and online customers in the area before the store launched, Liebel said.
Its opening was a popular topic on area food-related discussion boards. Jacquilynne Schlesier, community manager for the online food forum Chowhound, said the site had six chat threads devoted to the topic of the store’s arrival.
“Penzeys attracts a huge amount of attention everywhere it goes,” Schlesier said.
Brys Stephens, D.C.-based co-founder of the Web site CookThink, said he’s enthusiastic about the store because it emphasizes quality ingredients and might persuade new cooks to try out more exotic dishes.
“Sort of a demystification process takes place once you just go, pick up some cardamom and rub it on a piece of meat,” Stephens said.
The Falls Church location at 513 W. Broad St. is expected to open by summer’s end, Gibbons said.
melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
12:47 PM MST on Thu., Sep. 4, 2008 re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
11:36 AM MST on Fri., Aug. 15, 2008
re: "Region’s food, gas, energy prices fuel retail inflation"
Report as inappropriate
6:22 AM MST on Wed., May. 28, 2008
re: "Businesses, retailers recognizing downtown’s current, future health"
Report as inappropriate
5:52 AM MST on Sat., Apr. 12, 2008
re: "District entrepreneur takes light-up sneakers to the national shoe stage"
Report as inappropriate
9:24 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
7:20 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
6:44 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
4:41 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
3:10 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
12:43 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008
re: "Value City closing Baltimore-area stores"
Report as inappropriate
12:42 PM MST on Tue., May. 29, 2007
re: "Penzeys spices up D.C. area with Rockville store"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
Wow.. You need to do something with the format on this page in Firefox. Black font on a black background does not make for easy reading..
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
prices rising are not inflation, Inflation is caused by the devaluation of the dollar and this is caused soley by the federal reserve
2 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Baltimore is one of the oldest cities in this nation; it is rich with a tradition of invention, industrialism, and innovation. It should return to it's former glory...back in the late 1800's and 1900's it was said "If you want tomke money, you will need to go to Baltimore"...
8 agree | 9 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
why is nothing ever realesed in australia? i have been looking for light up shoes for years and i finally find a pair and they arent selling in australia!!
13 agree | 9 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
D said:
Still cheap.
56 agree | 61 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Cheap: I said trying not being sucessfull.
69 agree | 74 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Cheap said:
Well, if you let him. Who's fault is that? Make a call.
78 agree | 48 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Now I know what o'malley's march really stands for. He will stand by raise taxes and watch all of the businesses march out of Maryland.
66 agree | 43 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Leaving MD said:
Value City is closing 37 of its 113 stores nationwide yet 7 of 8 of its MD stores are closing! How many jobs is that? How many other businesses will be affected by the MD closings. This is what a hostile business climate does! Thanks O'Malley! Thanks Franchot! Thanks Miller! Thanks Busch! Nice job boys.
71 agree | 64 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
City Resident said:
pretty sure this is O' Malleys fault. that and the fact that liberals are now using craigslist to buy second hand furniture....man, way to go Baltimore!
80 agree | 70 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
WHat is the street address for Penskys???? You give the one for the new one in Falls Church.
290 agree | 275 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree