Walnut Creek Cheese is a haven for everything from cheese to kitchenwares to bulk foods
By Dave Mast
“Great deals for us means great deals for others.”
Those are the words of Walnut Creek Cheese manager Bruce King.
While it certainly would be simple to pocket the savings from bulk purchasing and searching the nation for great buys, that is not the Walnut Creek Cheese way. Mark Coblentz’ company would rather offer those great savings to its customers — a policy Coblentz has followed since his earliest days in the tiny cheese store up the road.
King said that the entire management team at Walnut Creek Cheese is focused on finding ways to pass along savings to customers.
“One of our main concerns during this time especially is helping our customers stretch their dollars,” said King. “We provide the service of a general store with the buying power of a larger store. Any time we can find bargains, rather than pocket the savings, we’d rather pass it along to the people. It’s important to us to be a caring part of our community.”
As for bargains, they are everywhere at Walnut Creek Cheese. However, it’s more than just food. There is an entirely different side to the store many may not know exists.
When it comes to cheese, produce, jams and jellies, baking and cooking products, ice cream or even a great place to stop for a fantastic lunch, Walnut Creek Cheese has certainly earned its reputation as one of the very best places to purchase quality foods at great prices.
But what people may not realize is that there is another side of Walnut Creek Cheese that has less to do with eating food, and more on creating a perfect setting in which to dine.
Walnut Creek Cheese has made every effort to pass along to the customer the price savings they generate through mass purchasing. And a quick trip up a flight of stairs to the special savings loft takes you into a world of incredible bargains on high-quality merchandise for home decor, and kitchen and dining use.
Welcome to The Butter Churn, a store-inside-a-store where bargains abound, and name brand items can be found for far less than you may fork out at a department store. While it isn’t exactly new, it is a well-kept secret in Amish Country, but King hopes that will change as it continues to garner recognition as a place to find drastically reduced, name brand merchandise. It is a store designed not for tourism, but for local people looking for value.
“This is an exciting department for us, and it has endless possibilities in providing some spectacular bargains,” said King. “We have come to realize that by buying a lot of merchandise, we can greatly reduce our prices and thus pass it along to others.”
Butter Churn manager Miriam Beachy said that by providing customers with product that is useful, quality and affordable, they are providing a very important function for local people.
“People always think about food when they think Walnut Creek Cheese,” said Beachy. “The Butter Churn is about food, but it focuses on the presentation. It’s not what’s being served, but how it’s being served that we feature.”
It certainly goes hand-in-hand with what Walnut Creek Cheese is all about.
Customers themselves are raving over the new store, and the savings they have found on merchandise like toasters, coffeemakers, dinnerware, home decor and other kitchen and dining appliances.
“We’ve gone halfway around the world to find products and prices comparable to the ones we have found at Walnut Creek Cheese,” said John Hicks, who, along with his wife, Margene, were back to see what new discoveries and price-saving items they could find in the Butter Churn. “This place just amazes me. We have found some of the best buys on wonderful items that we need.”
Beachy said that every time patrons visit her store, they are apt to find something new and unique for a great price.
“It’s like a treasure hunt up here. You never know what you’ll find,” said Beachy. “We’ve heard so many people say, Wow, I’ve been looking for this everywhere. We want our local people to experience that wow factor right here in their own backyard.”
Passing along savings to the customer is nothing new to Walnut Creek Cheese. The company’s founder and owner, Mark Coblentz, has always been driven to maximize value for his customers. He has passed that desire along to his management teams, who have in turn made it a top priority.
“Offering exceptional value is something that Mark believed in when he first began Walnut Creek Cheese back up on top of the hill (in Walnut Creek),” said King. “Our entire organization is geared toward finding ways to create value for local people.
How can Walnut Creek Cheese help you save? The opportunities are countless, aside from the everyday savings available throughout the store.
Savings that make scents
The use of candles in the home and at the workplace to provide ambiance is big business. Walnut Creek Cheese is ready to make it your business, with a new line of eight specialized, fragrant candles that will make your mouth water. Warm apple crisp, Grandma’s peach pie, Fresh baked bread and Brown sugar icing are all scents designed to take you back home to grannie’s kitchen.
“We picked scents which were down home, that would represent our store,” said Beachy. “These are all fragrances which are created to take people back to something special... something positive in their life.”
What’s more, by creating the candles in volume, they are able to offer them at far less than comparable candles elsewhere, including brands they carry. At $8.99 for a 22-ounce candle in a glass jar with a rustic black tin lid, or at three for $24.99, the candles are a huge bargain, and Beachy is excited about the opportunity to pass along great value to Butter Churn customers.
“In today’s economy, we’ve made it our goal to pass along savings to our customers any way we can,” said Beachy. “These candles are part of that effort, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer something this unique at such a great price.”
Cheaper by the dollar.
Savings come at you from all fronts at Walnut Creek Cheese. The store recently created a dollar store inside their facility, where everyday items can be found for $1. The old saying goes, “Everything from soup to nuts,” and those products may well be found in the dollar store, along with paper plates, cleaning supplies, bagged foods, canned items and so much more.
“It’s one more way we can create savings for the customer,” said King. “Every week we have new items in stock, with some awesome savings.”
Terrific Tuesdays.
Tuesday mornings never tasted so good, nor have they ever been kinder to the wallet. Terrific Tuesdays at Walnut Creek Cheese generate gigantic savings on specific items, like 99-cent pineapples. Not only do they offer generous savings, but stop in between 8 and 10 a.m. and you’ll be treated to coffee and donuts.
“We drastically cut the prices on certain items,” said King. “This has been an extremely popular event for us.”
