Inside the Intriguing L&L Restaurant Equipment Store (With Pictures)

Twelve years ago,

— that intrguing factory building on Charlotte Avenue — noting that the business sells new and used restaurant supplies and giving some detail about owner Tamay Ozari’s business plan. Just like then, the store is stocked with outdoor kitchens, shiny gadgets and industrial ovens, but now has a showroom where homeowners can design a kitchen with high end finishes and appliances. Recently,

that Ozari, who owns both the restaurant equipment store and the property, plans to move the business and convert the building to “New York-style lofts.”

This was just the push I needed to finally visit the store. I’ve lived nearby for 10 years and have always wanted to go in, but I admit to being a bit reticent. Would they be able to tell I was not a serious buyer? Despite the “Open to the Public” banner outside, it seemed like it was just not the place for an average cook. But I was pleasantly surprised; as reported, there were a lot of great (new) kitchen supplies for considerably less cost than I’d seen anywhere else. I spent well over an hour lusting over dough pans, pizza ovens and gadgets. Not to mention the 5-foot-tall mixer. Wow, the breads I could make with that!

The building itself is pretty cool to see and one of the main reasons I wanted to see inside. It’s in grave disrepair; holes in the roof let in rain, and holes in the side have allowed vines to weave their way in. After a lot of sleuthing, I was finally able to determine that the building was originally a hosiery factory, opening in 1928. Se-Ling brand hose were made from the finest Japanese silks and DuPont nylons with German technology. During World War II, the factory made parachutes and other items for the military. But the owner eventually shut down the operation after a series of labor disputes. In the early 1960s, the factory was partly renovated and used by Genesco for the manufacture of Valentine shoes. It was shut down for good some time in the 1970s or '80s during one of Genesco's many reorganizations.

Ozari purchased the building in 1996 and moved the restaurant supply business in from its original location on Second Avenue. The inside of the building is packed with anything and everything you’d ever need to operate a restaurant from serveware and furniture to timeclocks, ovens and refrigerators. Poking through the used section is a bit like going to an estate sale; it almost seems intrusive, seeing the remains of what was someone’s business, perhaps their dream.

The new side is a cook’s playground, with just about every tool imaginable, including many things you didn’t even know you needed (a curved spoon designed specifically to achieve the perfect drizzle). You can even buy chef coats and toques for far less than you’d expect ($10 and less). Behind the building is a graveyard of commercial kitchen equipment, viewable only when escorted by a member of the sales staff. They say “it’s too dangerous” for customers to explore on their own, so I opted to skip that portion of property.

Here are a few pictures I took of the inside, for those of you who are curious, but have never had time to go stop by. Ozari says it will still be at least a year or two before the business moves out, so you still have plenty of opportunity to see it yourself.

I also saw a sign near the new equipment area that indicated they rent banquet items, too. Keep that in mind if you ever need to serve coffee to hundreds of people.

L&L Restaurant Equipment

3814 Charlotte Ave.

Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

*Many thanks to Nicki P. Wood, E. Thomas Wood, J.R. Lind, Janice Lampley, and Robert Parks, as well as to Trish Bolian for lending me a copy of West Nashville, Its People and Environs, by Sarah Foster Kelley.