This is Not Your Grandmother’s Appliance Store!

Recently, I had the honor of being invited to my first blogger event. Debbie Schaeffer, president of Mrs. G TV & Appliances located on Route 1 in Lawrencelle, NJ, along with Hilary Morris, president of H. Morris Solutions, LLC as her assistant, kicked off the Mrs. G’s VIB (very important blogger) Series, which was sponsored by Mrs. G’s and Electrolux . This gathering enabled the invited bloggers to network, tour the showroom, and watch presentations and demos of selected Electroux products.

I met both @DebbieSchaeffer and @MrsMoNJ (Hilary Morris) on Twitter a while back. They are both local business owners, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet them in person, as well as the other bloggers from the tri-state area.

Some of Mrs. G's VIBs

I haven’t been in the store for two years, and had forgotten they had the interior renovated, so when I walked in, my breath was taken away by the changes. The typical 2,000 sq. ft. appliance row showroom had been transformed into a gorgeous, updated space of several kitchen vignettes on the entrance side. Seeing things in a home-like setting certainly helps you envision how a piece would look in your own home, as opposed to looking at them lined up like soldiers. This is certainly not the setting my grandmother had to shop for an oven.

G.E. Vignette

Viking Vignette

Electrolux Icon Vignette

The mix of colors, textures and 21st century design, was most impressive! Beautiful wood cabinetry mixed with stainless steel, granite and tumbled marble is just an example of what was displayed. She has re-invented the family business, founded by her grandmother, “Mrs G” along with her grandfather almost 75 years ago. There is a section in the back called “The Living Kitchen”, which is like a store within the store due to the space allotted for it, and it is filled with Wolf and Sub-Zero products in a sleek, modern environment intended for the design-oriented luxury market no doubt. I was salivating as I walked through it to the conference room. This is a place where serious home cooks just want to roll up their sleeves, and get creative. All of my friends who have come over for a five-course meal, ask me if all the kitchen gadgets I have make a difference in the outcome of the meal. I usually tell them while winking, it’s the talent of the cook that matters most. In reality, appliances do greatly effect the outcome, e.g. the taste of freezer burn can be avoided, dairy and produce stay fresher, and cook times can be shortened. Not that my kitchen is shabby, but honey, have you seen my photos?

The Living Kitchen

The Living Kitchen

The Living Kitchen

After a chance to meet and greet all attending, and a nice welcome, we walked over to the video room, and I was dazzled by the variety of flat panel TVs. Debbie informed us how home entertainment is changing with TVs & Blu-Ray DVD players having the capability to display web content. Right up my alley: Pandora Radio, Netflix, YouTube and more, all on the BIG screen. This technology is becoming more mainstream, not just for geeks like me connecting a laptop to my HDTV! Then there was a brief showing of a television show in which Mrs. G’s was one of the businesses highlighted, explaining the history of the establishment owned by three generations. After viewing it, of course, I was lured to the new 82″ Mitsubishi 3-D DLP that was on display showing the family film Coraline in 3-D. I hope no one noticed me drooling. I put on the special battery operated 3-D glasses, and it was just as good as watching it in the theater! I’ve been wanting to buy an LED back-lit screen, but this was bigger than my 65″ Mitsubishi rear projection model, and I DO have space for it! Besides, the price was just a bit higher than what I paid for my HDTV eight years ago! Hmmm?

Two representitives were present from Electrolux. First, Joe Visicaro, explained the features and advantages of their washers and dryers, including the benefits of steam, how they have the largest capacity, and quickest wash and dry times in their class, and how you can program their washing machines to clean a specific type of stain.

Electrolux Washer & Dryer Presentation. Joe Visicaro on left Debbie Schaeffer on right

Electrolux Convection Oven Demo

Then we walked over to Leigh Donadieu for a demonstartion of a convection oven and induction cooktop. She is also a chef, and served us a delicious lunch cooked on the premises using the working appliances. I love kitchen gadgets, and in recent years, large appliances have stepped up to the level of home computers. They are very intelligent. Ovens can do everything except knead your dough to bake the perfect baguette, and refrigerators can flash freeze your food to avoid freezer burn.

Tomato Bisque, Salmon Filet and Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

After lunch, I spoke with Debbie, who explained how she had her employees re-trained to be the most informative staff with the utmost customer service. They have a great mix of products for all budgets, including products that work well with a “green” lifestyle, the most competitive prices by being a part of a buying organization, which brings the combined purchasing power of thousands of retailers, AND they price match any competitor’s advertisement! This is a winning business plan! Actually, it’s a win-win situation for both retailer and consumer! If you live in New Jersey or Eastern Pennsylvania, I highly recommend contacting Mrs. G’s before making any appliance or television purchase. A trip to this fabulous showroom is well worth it!

Thanks to Debbie, Hilary, Joe and Leigh for a wonderful morning! I look forward to the upcoming events planned for within the next 12 months!

So, about that 82″ 3-D DLP…

Photo Zoom Effect

This weekend, a friend posted a fantastic photo he took showing motion. It prompted me to think of a method I had read about a while back, but never tried. I love panning a moving subject to show motion, but I always wanted to zoom out while photographing a subject to convey it. I grabbed my trusty camera, and put on a 70-200 f/2.8 lens and started experimenting. What was I thinking? I can hold the camera steady with the weight of this lens while I’m still, but not while I’m causing slight movement during zooming out. I quickly came to my senses and exchanged it for my 17-40 f/4 lens. Of course, my wide angle will be more stable using this technique. I found a shady spot in my backyard I thought might be interesting, and began shooting away. I decided all manual was the way to go, so I changed my focus to manual, and set my dial to “M”. After a few attempts, I was able to get a decent photo. Again, this was my first attempt, so I need to practice to master this skill, but wanted to finally post a photograph here. To view this photo in a larger size, or to get details, please check it out at Flickr.

Used the zoom effect.