Chef Ben Poremba, who heads Bengelina Hospitality Group, opened The Commissary, at the end of October. Located at 2744 Cherokee, the retail space features a curation of pre-loved dinnerware, furniture, and home goods.
Poremba originally planned to use the space as a commissary kitchen to do production for his restaurants, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to rethink the location’s use. He settled on opening a retail space, offering items from his personal collection.
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“It is part circumstance and part something I wanted to do for a long time,” Poremba says.
The store’s offerings, he says, are made up of mostly “cool dining objects” and furniture, but there will be other finds for sale as well. For example, a handmade white leather tennis bag is just one of the less expected items in the Commissary’s inventory. He has accumulated and stored these products over the years, plucking chairs, dishes, rugs, and other items he liked from auctions, estate sales, and websites like 1st Dibs. “People can expect to come in and find some really great deals and really unique items,” he says.
The store’s prices range from small items for $2 to a chair that could cost $600, he adds. Think of it this way: You never know what you might stumble upon. “I think it’s important for people to understand the selection will change very often,” explains Poremba, noting that the shop’s curation will be updated and refreshed weekly. There are also plans to add lifestyle items like cards, soaps, and candles.
The store is currently open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
