Artichoke
Hannah Bender, Owner of Artichoke
Hannah Bender had worked with her cousins at Luken’s Poultry, Fish & Seafood since she was 19. After 7 years of working with her family, she decided to seek a new adventure as a woman entrepreneur.
Brian and Karen Hughes, owners of Artichoke, were customers of Hannah’s when she worked for Luken’s Poultry, Fish & Seafood. They knew what kind of person she was, how hard she worked, and how much she loved the market. Artichoke hadn’t even been open for a full year yet - but the couple saw potential in Hannah and offered her the opportunity to join the team.
“It was a big jump from working in a butcher shop, but I really love what I do here,” says Hannah.
About 4 years later, Brian and Karen announced their retirement, and Hannah became the new owner of the cookware store. For her, transitioning from an employee to the owner was natural. “When I started working here, I was doing small tasks and then eventually moving to bigger projects like accounting, so I had been doing a lot of the background work already,” says Hannah.
Findlay Market not only plays a significant role in Hannah’s professional life, but also her personal life, as well. In 2009, Hannah met her now-husband Tom Bender, who’s family owned Bender Meats. The pair began hanging out a lot on the weekends and got married in 2019.
Artichoke is unique from other cookware stores due to the fact that, unlike most cookware stores, Artichoke is only 880 sq/ft, and most retail stores - no matter what they’re selling - are at least 1,000-1,200 sq/ft. Since Artichoke is in such a small building, their selection is quite unique and intentional.
When Brian and Karen first opened the shop, their advisors warned them that they needed more space. With the new building that Hannah opened in May, 2022, she has been able to meet those needs. Her 2nd storefront accommodates tabletop supplies, such as glassware, flatware, etc. Everything in the main store focuses on cooking preparation tools.
Lucas Pate, an employee at Artichoke, has been an important asset of the expansion. Since Lucas is an architecture student, he was able to digitally map the new space before any products were even put into the building. This allowed the team to figure out what worked and what didn’t work, while also helping the aesthetic flow into the new space.
Artichoke offers a variety of cooking classes ranging from holiday soul food to liquor tasting. Hannah’s favorite cooking class is her handmade pasta class. She finds the entire process soothing and was a skill she picked up during the Covid-19 shutdown.
One of the most important aspects of owning a business is the relationship with customers. Hannah feels fortunate to have a great relationship with her customer base. “We just want to make sure everyone goes home happy,” says Hannah.
Published November 2022