Cup o' Joe

Food, travel, and news on the Chesapeake Bay

Here at Cup o’ Joe, we’re always looking for a good deal. With that in mind, I stopped by The Backburner, a cozy little consignment shop in Eastport, to check out the offerings. The Backburner is the brainchild of Annie Hilliard, a 24-year-old entrepreneur with a love of kitchen accoutrements. So what does she do? The recent college grad opens a store that only sells consigned kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, and the like. As far as I know it’s only of its kind in the region, if not the country. (Can anyone else let me know of another?)

The space occupies the three rear rooms of a historic house. The old pantry is now filled with bookshelves holding cookbooks, a pizzelle-maker ($25), a basting gun ($5), and a deluxe model KitchenAid mixer for $199. (“It sells new for $299,” Hilliard informs me.)

The house’s old dining room boasts a mix of used goods for entertaining, from Fiestaware to antique glassware to funky, colorful aprons hand-stitched by Hilliard’s mother.

Hilliard tells me customers and consignors, range from older folks who are looking to downsize to younger transplants looking for a bargain. There’s a healthy helping of tourists, too. Consignors get 40 percent of the final sale price or 50 percent if the item fetches more than $150.

Generally, I found the prices pretty decent and the selection of goods definitely eclectic. Besides, for lovers of kitchen paraphernalia, The Backburner is a unique find unto itself.

Check the website for an abbreviated listing of current items, upcoming events, and terms and conditions.
915 Bay Ridge Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland, 21403, 410-591-2108

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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/13/10 at 11:25 AM

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