Home »
News & Trends »
Featured Articles

Marion Street Cheese Market

This Oak Park, Ill. market became such a community staple that a customer’s investment  enabled its growth into a wine bar and bistro.

By Dennis Marrero

On a Wednesday morning in June 2004, Eric Larson, owner of the Marion Street Cheese Market (MSCM), was on a train headed to his job at the American Dietetic Association when he glimpsed his future on the cover of the Chicago Tribune’s Good Eating section. After reading a feature about the boom in the domestic artisan cheese market, says Larson, “I had determined that I was going to open a cheese shop.” Five months later, he did just that.

History...

Although he had a successful career working with nonprofits, Larson was a foodie at heart. His love for cheese, in particular, began after meeting his future wife Michelle Sherman. Her mother was from Switzerland and she exposed Larson to Europe’s cuisine. “I fell in love with cheese,” he says, “and it started to become a serious hobby.”

Larson admits Michelle first thought he was crazy when he said he wanted to turn his hobby into a career. Yet, the two made the decision to go for it. “I worked almost entirely by myself for the first year while my wife was supporting us as a full-time veterinarian,” says Larson. With Michelle’s help on the weekends, the two renovated a vacant 720-square-foot space, which was previously a florist, and turned it into a community favorite that offered cheeses, charcuterie and some specialty foods.

The owners’ effort over the years did not go unnoticed. In late 2006, Mary Jo Schuler, a MSCM regular, noticed that the merchant was running out of space. “I had added beer, wine, more candy and specialty foods and I couldn’t fit anything more in the store,” Larson explains. “I wanted to open a wine bar and a small café but didn’t have the funding,” he adds. Schuler was looking for a community business investment at the time and “she felt comfortable investing in me because every time she came in, she saw me behind the cheese counter.” With her help, MSCM moved to a 4,200-square-foot space with a bistro and wine bar in July 2008. The expansion allowed Larson to double his wine, cheese and charcuterie items and triple the numbers and varieties of specialty foods and craft beers.

Points of Distinction...

MSCM has been able not only to hold its own but expand while being overshadowed by a Whole Foods Market and a Trader Joe’s within two blocks of its location. To establish its niche, the store’s focus “will always be on artisan cheese (125 in stock) and meat/charcuterie (50 in stock) and all the wonderful things in life that pair well with cheese,” Larson says. In total, the retailer carries 500 specialty foods, 200 wines and 50 beers. “Our products are special and they need to be.”

Along with premium products, Larson has utilized ZingTrain, a training model of customer service created by the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Zingerman’s Delicatessen, having the entire staff (16 full-timers and 43 part-time employees) undergo training on-site as well as in workshops in Ann Arbor. The program, Larson says, has helped MSCM “develop a continuous focus on providing exceptional customer service.” After training, staff regularly watches ZingTrain training videos on providing first-rate service and handling complaints. Larson and MSCM’s leadership team have also participated in a “visioning session”, which helps an organization discover its goals before writing a strategic plan.

MSCM is also dedicated to sustainability, which has resonated with the clientele. Larson notes that chairs are crafted from seatbelt remnants saved from a landfill, all millwork comes from certified sustainable cherry wood grown in Midwest forests, bar and countertops are made with recycled glass and MSCM’s platters, trays and to-go containers are made of recycled paperboard or compostable corn.

How They Keep Innovating...

MSCM is beginning to focus on e-commerce and has already partnered with a local retailer to create a delivery service to be rolled out in the coming year.—D.M.