My friend, Sandy, had ordered an item online from Nella Cutlery. She asked me whether we had time…read moreto drop by Nella Cutlery before we hit an eatery in Erin Mills. I looked at the address. It's roughly a ten-minute drive from my workplace. I feel like every place is en route when I'm driving from Markham, picking her up in Vaughan, dropping by this store near Dixie and Eglinton, and then driving along Eglinton to get to Erin Mills. I was good stopping by. She let me know that it's a cool place if you like to cook. I like cooking. I was looking forward to visiting this store. On most days, this store closed at 5 pm. We were heading over here on a Wednesday. I picked her up at 4 pm. I took backroads to get to Nella Cutlery. I read the sign and saw customer parking. I backed into a spot. We headed over to the customer entrance with ten minutes to spare. It felt like heaven! I wish that we had more time than ten minutes. I saw orange Le Creuset boxes that made me smile. A male staffer asked if we needed help. My friend said that she was picking up an online order. He semi-escorted us over to the checkout area. He was helpful, but at one point, I thought that he was talking to himself. We got a nice woman who looked at my friend's order printout and went to fetch it. It allowed us to browse. This store caters to both professional folks and home cooks. We saw a professional stand mixers that was going for nearly $11,000. I liked the blue trim on it, but it's definitely for a bakery. This place has a lot of nice knives and shakers for drinks. It made me realize that I don't have a shaker. I'd like one. I saw cases for baked goods and beef patties. There was also a robot that you see at sushi places. The wooden boards for both cutting and charcuterie boards were beautiful. Some were super long that it would be amazing to load appetizers on them. The woman found my friend's item. My friend was elated. The female staffer said that we had to go out the exit steps away from this checkout area because it was now 5 pm. I will say that when it's quitting time, this place is punctual. Everything shuts down immediately. The mass exodus occurs. We were a part of it, going down a short set of steps. We weren't far from my car. I hope that my friend has used her item. It was 50% off here compared to the same item being offered at Walmart. Wow! I look forward to returning and perusing with more time. It's a cool store. (44)

I'd been familiar with this company as it's a pretty big player locally in the restaurant supply…read morebusiness. I'd see their huge sign coming onto Hwy 400 north which says it's open to the public, and other references to them. I was curious for the longest time and wanted to check them out. As it happened, I wanted to exchange a digital kitchen scale I received for Christmas, but the store didn't have the model I wanted. I went online to see where I could get it. The suggested places indicated approximately $80 retail price. Williams Sonoma only had it at one store, and wouldn't let me pick it up at another one. Walmart had it, but they want $120!? Yes it was the exact same model. Then I saw it on the clearance page on Nella's page, for $60. Woohoo! I could pay extra to have it shipped, or pick it up at this Fewster location. My stars were aligned, because I needed to pass by this same place for another occasion. I filled out the customer and payment info online, and all I had to do was wait for the item to be picked and ready. I learned that not all the Nella stores work on the same platform. It's a family business that was originally established by grandfather, and subsequently sort of divided among other members. For example, the location near Hwy 400 isn't part of the online shopping system, so you have to visit in person. I got my confirmation email that my item was ready for pickup. I bummed a ride with a friend who luckily was also interested in seeing the place. We just made it about 10 minutes before their closing time. They have ample parking in their private lot. We made our way in and were immediately presented with all kinds of heavy duty commercial kitchen gadgets like deli meat slicers, refrigerators, mixers, even ginormous charcuterie boards that were almost too nice to use. We asked where to pick up an order and we got some vague instructions towards the back corner further in. We found our way to the counter and the appropriate staff. She asked us to wait while she retrieved the item. I could see so many things I'd have loved to explore more. Victorinox and Wusthoff knives, household kitchen gadgets, so many other items filling the huge warehouse store. When she returned, she gave me the item and then asked me to sign for it. She also made mention that they were closing, and it was like the whole place was poised to shut down on the dot. At least at this location, they are very precise about every aspect of running the place. That doesn't bother me as it also meant they take their business seriously and deliver it in every way. I've opened and used my scale, and it works perfectly. I'm thrilled to have found it for the price I did here. I would love to return here, and check out other locations as well.