If you are looking for high-quality cookware and bakeware in Lubbock, then you’ve got to visit Whisk’d; it’ll be your new go-to! Diane Abbott, the owner and operator of Whisk’d, is a friendly and caring businesswoman who frequently goes out of her way to provide kitchenware the people in her community want and need. After a conversation with Diane, it’s clear that not only does Whisk’d provide a wonderful shopping experience, but also, Whisk’d is part of the reason shopping local is so special.
How did Whisk’d get started?
“It happened very quick, actually. Lubbock had a kitchen store for a long time called Gourmet Pantry. Everybody loved it. Well, they retired and no one bought the business, so Lubbock was without a kitchen store for about three years or so. I already knew the wholesale side of kitchenware because before Whisk’d, I had a little company where I sold products to kitchen stores. I thought, I want to open a retail store and kitchen items would be a perfect fit. One, because Lubbock needed it and two, because Lubbock is my home town. It was my honor to provide something like this to the community. There was definitely a need for this store, and I’m honestly surprised no one decided to do this sooner. So I picked out a name, made a Facebook page, went to market, and four months later we were open. We found a place and opened in February of 2017.”
How did you get into this industry of sales and kitchenware?
“It really just happened. My husband and I are business people. My husband is a CPA, and I’m an accountant. So we know the numbers side of business very well. The product side I figured out on my own. Thank goodness for the internet! Whisk’d has evolved from people asking for specific items. Surprisingly, there are still a lot of people who won’t shop on the Internet. They want to see the items in person and touch them physically. They also want to make purchases and have them today.”
On that topic, why do you think it’s important for people to shop local?
“Well, of course because the money stays in the community. Local businesses also benefit the community. For example, we very rarely go to a non-profit event and see something from Dillard’s or a non-local business. It’s all local businesses giving away our product or service. I get asked for donations all the time and 99 percent of the time I’ll give something. It’s our way of giving back.
We have a huge following on our Facebook page, so something else I started doing for the community is an initiative called Thankful Thursday. Someone said to me, ‘Oh that’s a marketing thing, isn’t it?’ Well, it’s not. Thankful Thursday started because I wanted to give something away to someone who has supported us. So every Thursday we post a giveaway on Facebook and it’s so fun to see the comments. I’m not asking people to ‘like this post’ or ‘tag three friends’ or ‘share on Instagram’. That gets difficult. I don’t even have time to do that myself. But, it’s just a way to show support for our customers.”
Have you made special connections with your customers?
“The most recent example I can think of is last week there was an elderly man who called and said that he needed a bowl for his oatmeal. I told him we had several to choose from. He drove 45 miles to the store, and we looked at several different options. They were all too big or too small for his needs. I showed him a three-piece microwave set, and he loved them. However, he only needed one bowl. He asked me if we ever broke apart a set of items, and I told him I would do it just for him. He was so elated and said that I had made his day. For me, it wasn’t about the cost or the money. It was about making a man very happy, and he left with my most important sale of the day.”
Is there anything people may not know about Whisk’d?
“We have bridal registries, we have products that you didn’t know you needed until you see them, and we can usually order a specific kitchen item if we don’t have it. I do a lot of research and try to get items that you can’t find easily. For example, we sell an ice pick because I had heard time and time again that the ice pick is the hardest thing to find. One man told me he had been looking for almost two years! He was thrilled to see we had opened Whisk’d and sold ice picks. I literally could buy a train load of them.”
What are your dreams for Whisk’d as you continue to grow?
“I would like to see us offer online shopping. We have more than 4,000 items in our inventory, and a lot of people come into Lubbock from the surrounding towns. It would be great to have a way for them to go online and order our products.”
What do you love about having a business in Lubbock?
“I was born in Lubbock and have lived here ever since. I’m about as local as one can get. I love having a business here because Lubbock is really a big city with a small town feel. The people here are so friendly and caring and will stop and help a total stranger. And the traffic! What traffic? It takes 15 minutes to get from the north of Lubbock to the south side. And that’s at rush hour.”
Lubbock wouldn’t be Lubbock without Whisk’d and the other local shops and services that give this city its charm. You can find local businesses like Diane’s on Towny. Towny is the totally FREE app that helps you support local and rewards you for doing so! Grab it today!