"Come here for gifts, to pass the time, for You."
(in 4 reviews)
"…a french press, and a cookie cutter shaped like an ostrich, but you don't…"
(in 4 reviews)
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Sign of the Bear Kitchenware
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Sign of the Bear Kitchenware
Review Highlights
If you have the slightest interest in kitchen gadgetry, cookbooks, tableware, unusual cleaning tools, etc., you will love Sign of the Bear right on the Sonoma square.
It's a tad overwhelming, actually, even for a fan of this particular genre such as moi. But it's way more fun and sensory pleasing than a trip to Williams-Sonoma or Sur la Table. Skip, hop, don't stop, get thee to the Sign of the Bear Kitchenware.
Kitchen, dining and some other random supplies for locals and visitors alike. It's crammed to the hilt with everything from Le Creuset and Riedel to mugs and rolling pins.
What really stands out is they always seem to have the pieces of a set or a smaller production piece in a series that the big places don't carry and would never allow a custom order of! Have even swung in to see if they had replacement parts for some mixing components saving me a trip out to the big mall areas.
Great staff. They're extra speedy when it's busy so don't feel neglected. Ohhhh, they are extra special nice to locals.
I LOVE this shop LOVE LOVE LOVE it. There are kitchen utensils of all shapes and sizes more than you could ever imagine needing, that is until you see it and then realize life would not be complete without a brown sugar saver bear or napkins with cute pictures and silly sayings on them.
Honestly the prices are totally reasonable which is shocking considering it's in the touristy section of Sonoma's prominent square. I actually found the brown sugar saver bear and a cake tester there for cheaper than Amazon which was really surprising.
There are baking items or drink items or even just plain ol' dishes to choose from- I could easily kill an hour there just looking and drooling. From the old fashioned bunt pans, to egg whisks in really new funky shapes, to a blackboard on the side of a cow- there is just all kinds of things to see.
If you're in Sonoma GO!
Do you need an apron that reads "Danger: Men Cooking," a beer cozy with your initial embroidered on it, a Le Cruset 7.25 quart french oven, a french press, and a cookie cutter shaped like an ostrich, but you don't have time to make stops all over town? Oh, wait, that's me.
I used to think that Sign of the Bear was a tourist trap: specialty kitchen items that no one really needs for twice what they'd cost somewhere else. But I was wrong. Again.
There's no Target in Sonoma, so when you need, say, a pastry bag or a tray for cooking madellines or a strainer, Sign of the Bear has you covered.
Sure they have $80 pepper mills and other silly items, but that's what makes me love them more. I like to go to SOTB when all the stuff left on someone's wedding registry sucks and I want to get them something cool and useful.
WARNING WINE TASTERS: Sign of the Bear is small. It is filled with lots of expensive glass items. Don't break shit.
Oh, and they gift wrap.
They have everything. I came in looking for a spring form pan and left with four. Who doesn't need one in 4', 6' 9' and 12'?? The pans are nice and it was under $20 so how could I really say no? It's very samll and totally adorable. They, like I said have everything. The sales staff will help you out with anything you need. Looking for a gift, or something for your house; this is the spot. Some of their items are on the expensive side and I have to admit they are obviously not at the height of quality but the stuff lasts. I also got a collindar there, one of those cute bright colored house-wife ones that you want to hang on the wall for some reason as if it's art..everyone does need a bright blue collindar on their wall though( I am alkways so embarassed when I go to my friends houses and I don't see one...)
The initial item in the window that caught our eye was the muffin pan with little old-fashioned truck shapes (too cute!), but what reeled us in like fish on a line was the octopus bundt pan.
An octopus bundt pan, you ask? Why, YES!!! And for approximately $35, it can be yours too!
I didn't get it because I don't bake enough cakes to justify adding another piece of what Mark and Matt called 'kitchen junk' to my tiny apartment, but when I move from pies to cakes, I will. Oh yes. It WILL BE MINE. Muwahahaha.
This place is some sort of culinary kitchen mash-up where Sur la Table meets some French country store owner and elopes with your Japanese exchange student to have a mysterious German stepchild.
Le Cruset cookware mingles with french milled goat milk soap (Mark and Matt went apeshit over how cheap the soap was. Who would have thought these two guys even cared about soap!), a hen shaped purse, bamboo cutting boards, offset spatulas, a fine array of panini grills and waffle makers, Shun and Wusthof cutlery, spices and more!
It was a veritable cornucopia of kitchen-y goodness, and I was in heaven. I could have spent hours (until the sun went down, honestly) fondling and molesting all of their cooking utensils.
I exhibited extreme restraint and only purchased a few packets of yogurt starter of which I was not able to find locally. They also sell home-made yogurt making machines too- I have the same one they sell, from Euro-Cuisine. If you've never had home made yogurt, it's super easy to make and so unbelievably good, you'll never buy store bought again!
The only down side to this place is that the aisles are really tightly packed and fairly narrow. I'm slim but very clumsy, so I managed to knock over a whole display of olivewood spoons. Yes, that was me that made the huge ruckus.
This store is my 'candy store'. Now I have several reasons (Ahem, a more legitimate reason than to go wine tasting!) to come to Sonoma!
This store has an impressive selection of whimsical and beautiful kitchen accessories, as well as high-quality, practical tools and cookware. Great place to hit up if you're looking for a gift. It's located in the very desirable shopping district in old town Sonoma, near tasting rooms. Note to self: Don't go in there tipsy again, unless you surrender your wallet to a spouse or friend.
I was a little irked by the saleslady who said my purchase was "mismarked" on the price tag and charged me a higher price. Overall, the store prices seemed a bit on the high side of competitive. But otherwise, I really enjoyed shopping there.
Named for our Bear Flag, this store has everything. No, no
EVERYTHING.
I am endangered every time I walk in, however - yes, it is the pocketbook epidemic. So that the entire contents of the account that the purse has access to, I must limit my entries.
I love Sign of the Bear for gifts for my cool friends that cook, my lame friends that don't - but like a great home-ish gift like the rest of us, and just for browsing. You will find something in here, whether you want to or not.
There are homemade soaps, candles, beautiful tablecloths, aprons, dinner-wear, cutlery, every tool there ever was, every kitchen need.
The store is crowded, so little hands are cautioned. It is just too full of great items.
Come here for gifts, to pass the time, for You!
I challenge you to walk out of here without making a purchase - I triple-dog-dare you. I don't really cook, but even I have basic kitchenware needs.
- Anti-freeze ice cream scoop for $4.95, check;
- Oxo jar opener for a single woman who doesn't want to depend on the neighbor to open a jar of pasta sauce = priceless!
Seriously, if you don't have a list of items that you actually "need," you'll be hard pressed to walk out of here without convincing yourself that, hey, maybe you finally really do "need" that avocado slicer or animal face funnel or long ice tea spoon or wine opener even if you don't drink alcohol (just in case, right!?!)...
I know better than to go looking for an inexpensive gift or necessity item than to look for one in the tourist haven known as the Sonoma Plaza. And the gifts and products at Sign of the Bear are definitely not inexpensive, but they are worth it so it sucks me in every time! They have a wide array of cook books, a full line of Le Cruset items in every color, castle shaped cupcake molds, funky magnets, monkey shaped cheese cutters, onion goggles, pig key chains that oink, blenders, toasters and brightly colored brooms. There's something here for everyone, kids, bakers, chefs, and hobby cooks alike.
A treasure of Sonoma Valley with all of your culinary needs!
Serving platters, whimsical kitchen tools, books, lots of cheese supplies and very helpful staff. They will pack up your goods and offer to mail it for you, which I find helpful for gifts to far away friends! Stop in and say hi!
Thanks,
Sheana
One of the reasons why I really like this shop is their no-nonsense approach to merchandising. You won't find painfully precise Martha Stewart displays and a hundred of the same thing. Instead, the merchandising lends itself to surprise and discovery. They have a lot of basics as well as cool & unique must-have's. It's a good size so take your time browsing, you probably won't leave empty handed.
On a recent visit, we walked out with Cucina liquid soap in fig & fresh herbs and an Epicurean cutting board -- which is an attractive piece that won't dull knives and can be put in the dishwasher. Lots of cookbooks, linens, bakeware, and an obscene amount of warm colored tea towels. Great place to get gifts. It's worth a stop if you're in downtown Sonoma.
I love this store. They have everything a chef or anyone who likes to entertain or just enjoy their kitchen could possibly want or need. The prices are competitive with Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma, plus a whole lot more fun to shop at. The staff is very friendly and willing to wrap anything.
This is an amazing store! I bought my Le Creuset cookware here and got a good sale price. There is so much to look at in this store, but I didn't feel that it was a comfortable place to browse so I had to take away a star for that.
Kitchen porn. A bit scruffy and bearish, still, it gets the job done.
the sign of the bear carries adult melamine plateware, or "fantastic plastics" as they call it. that alone gives them four stars. but they also had a bunch of other cute stuff, like ceramic plates, hot heads pot holders, egg-shaped egg gadgets, strawberry shortcake canteens, and burger- and pizza-shaped plates. fun! we spent at least 20 minutes wandering around in here.
