Zest

Kitchen supply store offers private shopping experience

Jenny and Kyle Otsuka are counting their blessings and not only feel grateful to find themselves living in Prince Edward County during the outbreak, but to know they are surrounded by good people. The husband and wife team, owners of Zest Kitchen Shop, consider themselves fortunate in many ways, not least because they have been a feature on Picton’s Main Street for eight years, and have established some good connections with their customers, which has seen them through some difficult weeks recently. “They have been very supportive and I guess wanting to make sure we make it through this; we feel very grateful for that,” says Jenny Otsuka of her loyal customer base.

“We love being on Main Street in Picton and we just love living in Prince Edward County, it’s just a beautiful magical place. Being able to go through this COVID-19 pandemic living here, I feel very fortunate,” she says. It’s been tough for many navigating uncharteed waters, where most have taken a hit to the bottom line, and where strategic thinking has meant some businesses have had to adapt quickly, pivoting almost overnight to adopt a new and innovative way of doing things. Trying to make the decision to close at the start of the outbreak, not knowing when would be the right time was a difficult one for these business owners. “Then, when you do close, you are not sure when you’ll be able to reopen and what you’ll be able to do during that time to keep things afloat. It was a very, very scary time,” explains Jenny. “For a lot of us, being in this small community, we know one another and a lot of us are talking to each other and trying to figure out what works.”

Jenny and Kyle Otsuka behind the counter at Zest in Picton. PHOTO: JOHNNY C.Y. LAM

For the Otsukas, the eighth anniversary of their business came and went without fanfare this month. “We couldn’t really get a chance to celebrate,” says Jenny. The pair moved to the County permanently about eight years ago. “Before that, we had a summer home here for a few years and we fell in love with the community and decided we wanted to move here.” The challenges of the last few months came with the added hardship when the family dog got sick and passed away. Carter, a 12-pound Yorkie poodle mix, wasn’t just a companion to Jenny and Kyle, he was a fixture at the store, one locals had become familiar with. “He was always following us around and he greeted the customers,” explains Jenny. “Personally, it was a very difficult time, but we were grateful he was with us for almost 18 years,” she says. “Sometimes, my body acts as if he’s still around; I’ll go to open the fridge and I’ll react as if he’s right there or he’s not sitting in his bed where he normally is. This week was our first week back at the store and it was strange not having him there.”

Zest has been dealing with a new normal with curbside pick-up and delivery. But it was also a learning curve because when they temporarily closed their doors, they didn’t have a web store. When your back is up against the wall, we thought we will quickly have to put together a web store, and we threw that together in about five weeks,” she explains. But even before that, she says their customers were calling, emailing and messaging asking if they had that one thing they wanted. “They kept us going through that time,” she says. “It was great talking to people over the phone or doing video shopping in the store, and it kept us feeling connected to our customers and got us out driving throughout the County doing porch drop-off during that time.” Jenny says the experience has been great because not only have they had the positive interaction with customers, but they have been to parts of the County they have never seen before.

Putting up the web store made it easier for everybody says Jenny, and while it doesn’t contain everything in the store, it does showcase most of the key items and gives people an idea of what’s available. Zest Kitchen Shop started doing curbside pick-up and delivery during the outbreak and will continue with online sales even though the store is now open for business. “We are doing curbside pick-up more frequently, so there’s more flexibility around that, and we will continue to do free delivery through Prince Edward County for anyone who purchases more than $40 of product.” While Jenny admits it was born out of necessity, she says creating the web store has turned out to be a good thing.

When the province allowed shops to open last week, Zest had to think carefully about how they would ensure everyone remained safe. They are now offering a ‘private shopping’ experience which allows one person (you may bring a maximum of two other people from the same household) a 20-minute session where people can have the store to themselves for a unique shopping experience.

“That way, when people do come to shop it is a relaxed and comfortable environment for them on their own.” Zest is observing all safety protocols with enhanced sanitizing measures, including distancing stickers on the floor, hand sanitizer and gloves. They recommend booking in advance (via the website, Facebook or by phone) where they offer private shopping from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. And if anyone is passing by and needs something, Jenny suggests people knock, and if there is no one in the store, they will let you in.

Zest Kitchen Shop can be found at 192 Main Street, Picton. For more details, visit zestkitchenshop.com or call 613.645.9378.