Function Junction
Function Junction
It should come as no surprise that hardware stores were the impetus for Function Junction, Kansas City’s favorite gourmet kitchen and housewares retailer for 47 years.
Born into an entrepreneurial family in Chicago, Mary Merola embodies the frugal, independent work ethic of her immigrant father and the culinary talents of her mother. At age 15, she began her retail career cashiering in a small Chicago hardware store. Mary’s knack for hard lines retailing was evident when she joined Chicago’s Saxon Paint at age 18. By 19, she was an assistant buyer, and by 20, a housewares buyer purchasing for an 8-million-dollar department serving some 30 Saxon stores. Along the way, she also found time for night school, completing her bachelor’s degree in just 4 years.
It was also at Saxon that she met Merchandising Manager and future business partner/husband Steve Eberman.Together, they developed the culinary retail concept that was to become Function Junction. Originally from New York City, but having also worked in Kansas City, Steve recognized the potential of launching their business in Kansas City. The J. C. Nichols Company readily embraced their vision.
Mary was 23 in 1977 when she and Steve opened the first Function Junction in Seville Square at the corner of Pennsylvania and J. C. Nichols Parkway on the Country Club Plaza (the first of three Plaza addresses) in Kansas City, Missouri. Bringing the latest, most unique and sometimes difficult-to-find cooking gear to Kansas City, Mary sought products from companies with a “creative vibe” that were not distributed widely. Thus, the Function Junction motto: Cool cooking stuff that makes you cool cooking stuff.
Not long after opening, and while still a newbie to Kansas City, Mary noticed a good looking young guy eyeing her most expensive copper cookware—the average per-sale ticket at the time was about $12—and was careful to check his ID when he purchased the cookware with a check. When Mary deposited his check at the bank, she discovered her young customer was Kansas City Royal George Brett. Over the years, other celebrities included actress Cicely Tyson, rocker Alice Cooper, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and The Frugal Gourmet Jeff Smith, who signed cookbooks and autographed wooden spoons.
Function Junction quickly caught on; customers embraced its innovative and creative kitchen tools, bar and patio accessories, cutlery, cookware, glassware, bakeware, tea kettles, espresso machines, kitchen towels, napkins, and even a thing or two for pets. Over two decades, Function Junction grew to include 17 stores—10 in the Kansas City metro area and 7 more spread across St. Louis and Springfield in Missouri, Wichita, Kansas, and Omaha, Nebraska.
Mary adored her 31 years on the Plaza, including a 2-year presidency of the Plaza Merchants Association. At that time, there were 180 tenants, 160 of them local or regional businesses. New Plaza owners, however, challenged their healthy landlord/tenant relationship and in 2008, Function Junction closed its Plaza location.
By the late 1990s, Function Junction found itself at the crossroad of ‘Do we get bigger, or do we get smaller?’ Venture capital was risky; franchising was expensive; reducing a store’s square footprint was unfair to the concept. As Steve looked to retire before age 60 and several store leases in tough markets expired, the company chose to reorganize, downsize and return to its roots, keeping only the Plaza and Crown Center stores in Kansas City.
Mary and co-owner/wife Rebecca Merola, co-workers since 2001 and business partners since 2005, flourished thanks to different but complementary skillsets. Mary kept her focus on the big picture, front-of-store operation, its culinary products and personnel, while Rebecca saw to the back-of-store inventory, bill payment, insurance and payroll. Together, they shared their love of cooking through cooking demonstrations in their state-of-the-art culinary studio, as well as through their online cookware store, creating memories, building relationships and indulging the inner cook of loyal customers everywhere.
In 2024, Mary and Rebecca began a new life chapter when they closed their in-person brand. Beginning, appropriately, with an “End of an Era Sale” in May, Function Junction sadly closed for good, July 15, 2024. Fortunately, this beloved Kansas City brand shines on in the company of LUMI’s brightest neon stars.
It should come as no surprise that hardware stores were the impetus for Function Junction, Kansas City’s favorite gourmet kitchen and housewares retailer for 47 years.
Born into an entrepreneurial family in Chicago, Mary Merola embodies the frugal, independent work ethic of her immigrant father and the culinary talents of her mother. At age 15, she began her retail career cashiering in a small Chicago hardware store. Mary’s knack for hard lines retailing was evident when she joined Chicago’s Saxon Paint at age 18. By 19, she was an assistant buyer, and by 20, a housewares buyer purchasing for an 8-million-dollar department serving some 30 Saxon stores. Along the way, she also found time for night school, completing her bachelor’s degree in just 4 years.
It was also at Saxon that she met Merchandising Manager and future business partner/husband Steve Eberman.Together, they developed the culinary retail concept that was to become Function Junction. Originally from New York City, but having also worked in Kansas City, Steve recognized the potential of launching their business in Kansas City. The J. C. Nichols Company readily embraced their vision.
Mary was 23 in 1977 when she and Steve opened the first Function Junction in Seville Square at the corner of Pennsylvania and J. C. Nichols Parkway on the Country Club Plaza (the first of three Plaza addresses) in Kansas City, Missouri. Bringing the latest, most unique and sometimes difficult-to-find cooking gear to Kansas City, Mary sought products from companies with a “creative vibe” that were not distributed widely. Thus, the Function Junction motto: Cool cooking stuff that makes you cool cooking stuff.
Not long after opening, and while still a newbie to Kansas City, Mary noticed a good looking young guy eyeing her most expensive copper cookware—the average per-sale ticket at the time was about $12—and was careful to check his ID when he purchased the cookware with a check. When Mary deposited his check at the bank, she discovered her young customer was Kansas City Royal George Brett. Over the years, other celebrities included actress Cicely Tyson, rocker Alice Cooper, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and The Frugal Gourmet Jeff Smith, who signed cookbooks and autographed wooden spoons.
Function Junction quickly caught on; customers embraced its innovative and creative kitchen tools, bar and patio accessories, cutlery, cookware, glassware, bakeware, tea kettles, espresso machines, kitchen towels, napkins, and even a thing or two for pets. Over two decades, Function Junction grew to include 17 stores—10 in the Kansas City metro area and 7 more spread across St. Louis and Springfield in Missouri, Wichita, Kansas, and Omaha, Nebraska.
Mary adored her 31 years on the Plaza, including a 2-year presidency of the Plaza Merchants Association. At that time, there were 180 tenants, 160 of them local or regional businesses. New Plaza owners, however, challenged their healthy landlord/tenant relationship and in 2008, Function Junction closed its Plaza location.
By the late 1990s, Function Junction found itself at the crossroad of ‘Do we get bigger, or do we get smaller?’ Venture capital was risky; franchising was expensive; reducing a store’s square footprint was unfair to the concept. As Steve looked to retire before age 60 and several store leases in tough markets expired, the company chose to reorganize, downsize and return to its roots, keeping only the Plaza and Crown Center stores in Kansas City.
Mary and co-owner/wife Rebecca Merola, co-workers since 2001 and business partners since 2005, flourished thanks to different but complementary skillsets. Mary kept her focus on the big picture, front-of-store operation, its culinary products and personnel, while Rebecca saw to the back-of-store inventory, bill payment, insurance and payroll. Together, they shared their love of cooking through cooking demonstrations in their state-of-the-art culinary studio, as well as through their online cookware store, creating memories, building relationships and indulging the inner cook of loyal customers everywhere.
In 2024, Mary and Rebecca began a new life chapter when they closed their in-person brand. Beginning, appropriately, with an “End of an Era Sale” in May, Function Junction sadly closed for good, July 15, 2024. Fortunately, this beloved Kansas City brand shines on in the company of LUMI’s brightest neon stars.
