Cooks/Crocus Hill sale grows from garage to warehouse this weekend

Cooks of Crocus Hill, the kitchen supply store based on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, used to call its annual summer clearance event a garage sale when it was in the back alley behind the store. Later on it was called a yard sale when it was moved to the front yard of the store.

But this year, the sale outgrew the outdoor space in front and in back of the store. Owner Marie Dwyer says it time to move it to the retailer's warehouse location in St. Paul. "It feels like the right thing to do," she said.

Dwyer said the weather in June is too unpredictable for an outdoor sale. "It seemed as if we were always fighting monsoon rain storms and the tent would always leak," she said. "The warehouse will make it easier."

The warehouse space will allow Cooks to double the number of sale items compared to last year. The selection includes bakeware, barware, cookbooks, cookware, cutting boards, kitchen gadgets, knives, linens, small appliances, table top, discontinued items, used items from the cooking schools and fixtures from the Edina store that closed. Discounts have ranged from 50 to 80% at past sales.