Gay McLeskey’s husband had just recovered from open heart surgery and had begun cancer treatments when he saw an article in the newspaper that The Kitchen Emporium in downtown Anderson was closing because the owner couldn’t find a buyer.
“My husband looked at me and said, ‘We’ve got to go rescue that little shop,’ and I said, ‘Are you crazy?’” McLeskey recalls.
This year, the McLeskeys are celebrating their fifteenth year as owners of The Kitchen Emporium & Gifts in downtown Anderson. Now in their fourth location since buying the business in 2006, they believe they’ve found a permanent home at 418 N. Main Street.
“We have our own parking lot and a patio so our customers can enjoy being outside,” McLesky said. “That has been a blessing since the pandemic because we’ve tried to do everything outside.”
Deemed an essential business during the initial shutdown phase of the pandemic, The Kitchen Emporium & Gifts and local farms such as Friends Farm in Townville, Palmatier Farms in Belton and Split Creek Farm in Anderson helped keep each other operating.
“They kept us going bringing in food, and people were coming in and buying because now, all of a sudden, they’re having three meals a day at home and they’re not used to that,” McLeskey said. “They were able to come here to purchase casseroles and soups and yes, while they were here, they’d pick up a bottle or two or three of wine.”
McLeskey, who hails from a family of cooks, enjoys being in the kitchen at The Kitchen Emporium & Gifts, but she’s just as comfortable on the wine side of the business and hopes to one day become a sommelier.
With a passion for teaching her customers about wine, McLeskey hosts monthly tastings, dinners and special events including downtown Anderson’s longest running event – “Women on Wine” held the second Thursday of every month.
“I meet a lot of the wine makers and vineyard managers and I hear their stories and I pass them along, so when you’re serving wine to your friends and you’re telling the stories, you sound so smart.”
As for the gifts part of the business, The Kitchen Emporium & Gifts features cookware, hand-painted ceramics, bakeware, stemware, cooking utensils and kitchen accessories, along with specialty products from nearby farms like Hampton Acres in Pelzer.
“We pride ourselves on high quality products and kitchen tools that you would normally not find in what I call the box stores,” McLeskey said.
For information on upcoming events at The Kitchen Emporium & Gifts, including live music events on Friday nights, follow @TheKitchenEmporiumAndGiftsLlc on Facebook.
