'You have to be able to define a kitchen as a living room!'

Visiting At Pure Kitchens

"Shall we keep it pure?" It's the first thing Ankie Karels says when we step inside Puur Keukens in Breda. One of her company cars -parked in front of the door- also bears the payoff "Echt Anders. And that's right. This showroom is indeed unlike anything else... Entrepreneur pu(u)sang Ankie is happy to tell us about it.

"It was once my wish to be able to furnish a raw empty building and then start a kitchen store," Ankie says. "We started here two years ago. I actually immediately fell in love with this location but it was still a little tense whether we would get it. But it worked out, in three months we rebuilt everything which allowed us to start our business here in Breda two years ago. Where was the basis for our design? Well, with myself of course. I love wood and the decor that goes with it. A kitchen should be warm and cozy. In other words, it should be possible to define a kitchen as a living room. One way to achieve this is with wood. And yes, I would say that we have a unique position in this area. I see that other kitchen stores are still too much the same and more clinical. Of course, that is entirely up to them, but it is not my choice. A kitchen should not be clinical. Coziness with a touch of country style, Ibiza, a little Japandi... That's what I love. And that's what I also want to sell. This is my own story. It is therefore also a confirmation of my own identity which makes me come across as 'pure' in the way I communicate with clients. And thus credible."

Straightforward

Sometimes Ankie (as well as colleagues) "has" to be honest. Or at least straightforward. "Then you have an in itself good conversation with the customer, I have outlined one thing and another but the customer still wants something substantially different. Fine. A kitchen also has to be able to grow. We often come up with arrangements that the customer hadn't thought of. My staff and I are also convinced that we have to stand behind our own ideas. Otherwise you can't sell."

When asked whether this distinct -perhaps indeed unique?- warm style therefore attracts a specific client group, Ankie is clear with her answer. "We notice that most of our customers are entrepreneurs themselves. I think they understand exactly what we mean and what we focus on. And, I think I also know why they don't go to the other larger kitchen specialty stores or chains. It's because they see through the many colored promotional balloons and garish advertisements. So you don't see those at our place. That would also detract from the atmosphere we want to create in our showroom. You don't hang colored ads in your living room, do you?"

Rating

Ankie has to laugh when she thinks of a surprising compliment a little girl, about seven years old, once gave. "She was walking through our showroom with her mother, and I heard the little girl say, 'Mommy, do these people live here?' Well, you can't get a better appreciation. So our showroom feels like
a living room."

If you ask Ankie for three tips for kitchen specialists who want to do things (also) really differently, she says: "The kitchen has to look the way people want it at home. Secondly, get rid of those garish advertisements and finally, make clear choices regarding your assortment, at least: if you want to be credible."

Ankie concludes: "Of course, at the conclusion of an advice or sales meeting we always ask the customer: 'Is this what you expected?' If the client then answers with 'No, it's what I dreamed of', then I know that we got our message across well and had the right client at the table! And that we exceeded expectations. How did we do that? Well... our story is pure."