I notice that the Spice House gives you free shipping now if you order all of your spices in flat bags like they have in the store as opposed to bottles. I just love the smell when I step into the Evanston store. I need to go there to get some more dried basil. I ran out a few weeks ago, and got a small amount from the bulk section at Whole Foods, and there was no comparison between them and the Spice House.

I've been going to the evanston store for years;loved the small intimate nature that the spice house and their employees give to the customers;that stretch of central street has some unique places to shop at. About a year ago i found out that there were new owners. Nothing really changed until about 2 months ago. First was the rebrand. As far as the packaging it's actually a nice improvement. Second though are the other changes which include eliminating certain spices such as sunny spain , and cake spice to name a few. But also the inability to purchase spices in 1oz or 2oz increments. And of course the price increases. And a good amount of the spices are being renamed.Ugh. What it appears the new owners are trying to do is compete with Penzey's which I believe is owned by Patty Erds brother. Now it's their business and they have every right to rebrand it. But I would hope they don't lose fact that the folksy small neighborhood culture built the spice house into what they've become not only in evanston but also at the old town location. They are definitely going after the mail order business but should actually put out a questionnaire to see how their customers feel about the changes.

I can't get spices in one ounce quantities any more? There are only a few spices that I would use more than one ounce in a year. Maybe if people posted on their Facebook page they would get a response.

NFriday wrote:I can't get spices in one ounce quantities any more? There are only a few spices that I would use more than one ounce in a year. Maybe if people posted on their Facebook page they would get a response.

Accordingly to an employee I spoke with last week regarding that No. It's either the jar,jar refill which is the flat pack or a larger size. Now if enough people request it perhaps they will change this policy.

I just posted on their Facebook page, requesting that they bring back the one ounce bags. I also mentioned that I just found out here that the Erds sold the business. Hopefully somebody there will visit lth to read the posts. Maybe if a few other people posted over there requesting that they bring back the one ounce bags, then they would listen. Somebody on their Facebook page asked three days ago if the Erds sold the business, and nobody has responded. BTW- They just had a grand reopening for their Old Town location on 11/15.

As he mentioned, the information about the new owners that nr706 copied and pasted upthread is posted in the About section of The Spice House's website. Full credit that they're not keeping it a secret but I'm going to deduct a few points for how buried the information is.

Gypsy Boy wrote:(What's even curiouser is that, looking specifically for stories about the sale on the internet, there is virtually nothing. Almost as if both sides were embarrassed about the transaction and no one wanted to publicize it--at all. )

Well, as you know, this is not uncommon when a privately held business changes hands. To be fair, the desire for privacy may be entirely genuine, and involve details and personal information that the principals prefer to keep private.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Well, as you know, this is not uncommon when a privately held business changes hands. To be fair, the desire for privacy may be entirely genuine, and involve details and personal information that the principals prefer to keep private.

=R=

Yes, but. Even privately held entities, when they are as..."public" (for lack of a better word at the moment) as The Spice House, tend to get written up when there's a sale of the whole business. It may not be much of a story, only a few lines, but I find it hard to believe that neither the outgoing nor the incoming owners had some interest in making the change known. Since the transaction was private, details would be hard to come by (beyond what was decided to be shared), but that no one said nuthin' to no one still strikes me as a bit odd.

It also explains the difficulties I've had the last two visits using my store gift card. Both times the problem was attributed to converting to a whole new computer system. The first time, I made some comment. The second time I commented again and several employees rolled their eyes as if I had only tapped the tip of an iceberg. Now I get it. (Or some of it)

Since so many customers are faithful to Patty and Tom, rather than to a business, I suspect they kept it quiet to not have the entire business collapse. I have other friends in different businesses where this has happened, so it can be a real problem. If the Erds genuinely like the new owners, they would want to protect them -- and, of course, their family legacy.

Well they do at the bottom of their website have an email address for contacting them. It's
[email protected]
And I'm pretty sure that if you make your feelings known in a respectable way that someone perhaps even one of the owners will get back to you. They may not even know that some of their changes are not being well received.

Pauly wrote:Well they do at the bottom of their website have an email address for contacting them. It's
[email protected]
And I'm pretty sure that if you make your feelings known in a respectable way that someone perhaps even one of the owners will get back to you. They may not even know that some of their changes are not being well received.

Granted. But for two successful businessmen not to understand that one of the basic, essential, fundamental reasons for the success of this place--beyond the personalities of the owners--is that it is LOCAL is mindboggling to me. We don't WANT to shop at yet another national/international conglomerate. And their dismayingly earnest statement about "bring[ing] their vision to a national and then global scale" is so tone deaf that I cannot honestly see continuing to shop there. That is precisely what I do NOT want to be a part of.

Pauly wrote:

NFriday wrote:I can't get spices in one ounce quantities any more? There are only a few spices that I would use more than one ounce in a year. Maybe if people posted on their Facebook page they would get a response.

Accordingly to an employee I spoke with last week regarding that No. It's either the jar,jar refill which is the flat pack or a larger size. Now if enough people request it perhaps they will change this policy.

I hadn’t seen this thread and so did not know to ask what will happen in the future. However, while the Evanston location looked different today, they gave me all 4 that I asked for in 1 oz. bags.

Hi- Maybe they reacted to the post I did on their Facebook page a few days ago, where I asked them to bring back the one ounce bags. I also told them about the discussion of the store on LTH forum. No way would I use two ounces of rosemary or sage in a years time. Even if they did not bring back the one ounce bags though, I would continue to shop there, because the only other spice shop in Evanston is a franchise. Hopefully the quality will remain the same with the new owners. I wonder if either of the new owners had any experience in the spice business before they took over the company? I doubt it. Thanks, Nancy

Gypsy Boy wrote:Granted. But for two successful businessmen not to understand that one of the basic, essential, fundamental reasons for the success of this place--beyond the personalities of the owners--is that it is LOCAL is mindboggling to me. We don't WANT to shop at yet another national/international conglomerate. And their dismayingly earnest statement about "bring[ing] their vision to a national and then global scale" is so tone deaf that I cannot honestly see continuing to shop there. That is precisely what I do NOT want to be a part of.

My reason for shopping at the Spice House was the fact that Patty Erd was available to answer any question I had on a good number of spices.

Recently, I have been buying all of my spaces in small bulk markets where I can purchase as much or as little as I want. And little can be a 1/4 teaspoon. I might buy eight spices and spend $4.

lougord99 wrote:I hadn’t seen this thread and so did not know to ask what will happen in the future. However, while the Evanston location looked different today, they gave me all 4 that I asked for in 1 oz. bags.

Well that's good to hear. Their web site still only lists by jar or flat pack or larger. One thing I do treasure from the Spice House is their catalog which lists ingredients,but more importantly levels of Sodium and also as a reference prior prices.

I was there on Sunday and was a little surprised to see that the smallest packages of fenugreek leaves and Hungarian paprika ran me almost $9. I asked for a "refill package" of the fenugreek leaves and they said the minimum was 1 oz. I agreed, not realizing that that's about a quart (anybody want some fenugreek leaves? I'll bring it to the holiday party, just PM me. Nothing suspicious about dried leaves in baggies, right?).

JoelF wrote:I was there on Sunday and was a little surprised to see that the smallest packages of fenugreek leaves and Hungarian paprika ran me almost $9. I asked for a "refill package" of the fenugreek leaves and they said the minimum was 1 oz. I agreed, not realizing that that's about a quart (anybody want some fenugreek leaves? I'll bring it to the holiday party, just PM me. Nothing suspicious about dried leaves in baggies, right?).

That seems like an awful lot for 1 oz. Just checked my 1 oz bag of funugreek leaves from Epic Spices and at the time of purchase, based upon the label, they were $2.35.

My husband, Tom Erd, and I sold the majority ownership of The Spice House, and it was the most painful thing I have ever done in my life. It is not something we agreed on, but marriage is filled with compromise. We still are ten percent owners, and the idea was that we could be as involved or as removed as we would like. In the quest to retire, we searched for years to find new owners who would be true stewards of our company and the devotion my family put into it for 62 years. I don't feel I am at liberty to discuss changes in a public forum, but anyone who wants to chat with me personally, my email is still [email protected]

@cinnamongirl Thank You for the post. I continue to be a customer of the Spice House in spite of the recent changes. As you know humans don't like change. We sit in the same Metra coach on the way to work or in the same seat or pew at the parish or church each Sunday and when change comes we fiercely resist it. I understand that a public forum isn't the place to discuss changes that have transpired at the Spice House. I will say that you and Tom and the new owners are blessed to have the employees that you have especially in Evanston. I look forward to the many dishes I can prepare with the spices bought and suggestions given by the employees there. Again,Thanks for being a key part of such a cool place to shop at. Have a Blessed Holiday season.

Pauly wrote:I will say that you and Tom and the new owners are blessed to have the employees that you have especially in Evanston.

Might look good on the outside,but internally working at the Skokie location was not great...

The Spice House
8240 Kimball Ave.
Skokie,Il 60076

Did I miss the updates, perhaps upthread for the re-opening of the Wells Street location?

pairs4life wrote:Did I miss the updates, perhaps upthread for the re-opening of the Wells Street location?

No updates here that I could find but yes, the Old Town / Wells Street location reopened a couple of weeks ago.

=R=

RockyDennis wrote:

Pauly wrote:I will say that you and Tom and the new owners are blessed to have the employees that you have especially in Evanston.

Might look good on the outside,but internally working at the Skokie location was not great...

The Spice House
8240 Kimball Ave.
Skokie,Il 60076

Isn't this where they process their mailorders? Is it now open to the public?

Did you work at The Spice House?

Regards,
CAthy2

I've been looking for THE SPICE HOUSE dried vegetable soup blend and I can't find it! I truly am lost without it as it was great in chicken salad, pasta, soup and more.

Cathy2 wrote:

RockyDennis wrote:Might look good on the outside,but internally working at the Skokie location was not great...

The Spice House
8240 Kimball Ave.
Skokie,Il 60076

Isn't this where they process their mailorders? Is it now open to the public?

Did you work at The Spice House?

The location on Kimball is their warehouse; not open to the public as far as I know.

Food Nut wrote:I've been looking for THE SPICE HOUSE dried vegetable soup blend and I can't find it! I truly am lost without it as it was great in chicken salad, pasta, soup and more.

From what I have heard, some things have been renamed. Somethings are pulled for good. Somethings are now treated as seasonal. You really need to contact The Spice House so the new owners know what their customers may really want.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Regards,
Cathy2

Pauly wrote:The location on Kimball is their warehouse; not open to the public as far as I know.

That was my thought, too.

Hi- Does anybody know if the Evanston store is open? On their website it says that it is temporarily closed, but it says it is open 9:00-5:00 W-Su. Call for more info. I am making some black bean soup which calls for 1 Tablespoon of cumin, and 1 T of coriander. It appears I am out of both those, and so I am going to substitute chili power and curry powder. My spices are old though, and need to be replaced. Thanks, Nancy

NFriday wrote:Hi- Does anybody know if the Evanston store is open? On their website it says that it is temporarily closed, but it says it is open 9:00-5:00 W-Su. Call for more info. I am making some black bean soup which calls for 1 Tablespoon of cumin, and 1 T of coriander. It appears I am out of both those, and so I am going to substitute chili power and curry powder. My spices are old though, and need to be replaced. Thanks, Nancy

A couple of weeks ago, they were only taking online orders for pickup. We were quoted 24-48 hours turnaround time. So even if they’re still open, you may not get your spices by whenever you need them. I’d call, though.

NFriday wrote:Does anybody know if the Evanston store is open?

They were open earlier this week, with the operation setup as a table out front where the order is taken, then they fill it inside and bring it out. I didn't see the process that specifically, maybe it was just claiming a previously placed online order. I doubt they're closed, but call ahead.

I placed an order online this morning (Saturday) and 1 hour later got an email saying it was ready for pickup at Evanston and that they were open for pickup 7 days a week.