Style > Best Bargains Package

Sometimes a good deal is only a block and a half away. In the same strip of shops in Chevy Chase DC sit a Williams-Sonoma and a Sur la Table, both carrying gourmet kitchen items. The two retailers also have locations near each other in Tysons Galleria and Pentagon City. What’s not similar: the prices.

A square cake pan is $15 at Williams-Sonoma; Sur la Table has a comparable pan for $6.95. A six-cup muffin pan at Williams-Sonoma is $18; at Sur la Table, there’s one for $9.95.

Deals extend beyond bakeware. A set of four glasses with an old-fashioned design are $43 at Williams-Sonoma. While Sur la Table’s stylish and stackable bistro glasses aren’t made of Hungarian crystal, they’re just $19.50 for six. Williams-Sonoma’s cheapest paring knife is $13.95; Sur la Table has one for $7.95.

While it’s hard to know if Williams-Sonoma’s higher-priced wares last longer, Sur la Table sometimes has better prices on the same cookware. Williams-Sonoma sells a Le Creuset six-piece set for $549.95. Sur la Table offers it for $495.

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This article appears in the August 2008 issue of Washingtonian magazine. To see more articles in this issue, click here.