Retail Profile: Sweet Basil Gourmetware and Cooking School, Sweet Basil Market Cafe
Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Owner: Martie Sullivan
Founded: 1993
Square footage: 4,000 sq. ft.

One thing most independent retailers share, if they are in business as long as Martie Sullivan has been, is a talent for being flexible. It is not enough to come up with a good idea. For a store to thrive for over two decades, the store owner also needs to adapt.

For instance, Sullivan saw early on that her Arizona community was ripe for a kitchenware store and cooking school and opened Sweet Basil Gourmetware and Cooking School in a downtown strip mall in 1993. Then, to accommodate an increased demand for cooking classes, Sullivan moved three doors down to a larger space five years later. Three years ago, she added a cafe when she realized her customers were looking for a casual place to eat in Scottsdale, a city filled with high-end restaurants.

Another thing successful retailers share is the ability to embrace new concepts. Sullivan came up with the cafe idea after visiting a cafe/store combination while on vacation.

“I wanted to appeal to a foodie who likes to go out to eat but was a more casual cook. I did some research and came up with a design for a cafe with 48 seats, a patio and a dining area adjacent to the cafe kitchen.” Sweet Basil has two kitchens: one services the cooking school, the other the cafe.

Being a triple-threat store “means hiring can get a bit tricky, especially in the competition for waitstaff for the cafe, given the restaurant boom in town,” she said. “It can be hard to get the right combination of waiters and waitresses.”

Reaching out to customers is also key to long-term success.

“What they want is really important to me and we try to cater to them,” Sullivan says. “If there is something they need, and we don’t stock it, we will get it for them. We don’t offer a corporate experience, we offer a one-on-one experience. Even though the bigger stores have more inventory, the customer service we provide here makes my customers feel like they are important, they are valuable and that we will do anything to help them with their needs.”

To that end, the store stocks a wide range of grilling supplies, a pastime popular in sunny Scottsdale. Another popular pastime in town is mixology, and a full range of barware is set out, including shakers, strainers, mixers and openers, along with glassware for all sorts of libations.

Bakeware is amply represented, as is the coffee and tea category with Capresso espresso and coffee makers, French presses, electric kettles and 20 different types of coffee beans. Tea comes from the San Francisco Herb Company and is sold both in the store and served during classes and at the Cafe. Of course, there are a plethora of mugs and tea cups, along with a chance to join the store’s coffee club and get discounts on beans.

Sweet Basil’s varied format gives Sullivan “a lot of different ways to make customers happy.” For instance, the cooking school offers a wide range of classes, hitting all points on the age spectrum including classes for kids. Given that Scottsdale has a large influx of what Sullivan calls “winter visitors” (think snowbirds escaping from the cold Northeast), she also tailors classes to appeal to retirees.

“We do a demonstration class once a week called ‘Lunch and Learn.’ It is held every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. We demonstrate an entree, a side dish and dessert, and then we sit down and eat.”

Think of it as a really, really early-bird special. “A lot of our winter visitor friends attend that class on a regular basis,” Sullivan said. “They come to the class, see the demo, have lunch and don’t need dinner.”

Another class, called “Gourmet Couples” features a three-course meal along with wine. “People come with a partner, either married or on a date, or a parent with their adult child, and when the meal comes together the group all sits down and enjoys it,” Sullivan says.

Seven couples each make a different dish during the class. A recent lesson/menu featured during the class started off with crostini with Cotija cheese, olives & sundried tomatoes and grilled tomato and mixed greens salad with Blue Cheese vinaigrette, served with Sauvignon Blanc. The entrée? Coffee-rubbed grilled New York steak with grilled onion & roasted red pepper sauce; cast-iron shaved brussels sprouts with toasted garlic; oven-roasted Yukon Gold & sweet potato gratin; and char-grilled peppers with basil vinaigrette, served with Zinfandel. Dessert was individual goat cheese & pistachio cheesecakes with Tequila-lime syrup.

“It’s unique to us because it is a way of creating a real gourmet meal, but also a way for everyone to sit down and enjoy it too,” Sullivan says. “One couple will handle an appetizer, another an entree, another dessert. People have fun and enjoy being together cooking with other couples. There are a lot of friendships being made there.”

When it was pointed out that introducing people and sparking friendships was kind of like community service, Sullivan laughed and agreed. “What I try and do with my customers is make them feel really important because they are important to me,” she says.