Orange Tree Imports

A true Madison gem! This lovely shop has the perfect blend of thoughtful gifts, useful kitchen tools, and little ways to "treat yourself"! I probably visit this shop every couple of months and rarely leave empty handed! The thoughtfully curated and well organized candle department is usually my first stop. Lots of variety, a recent favorite is the "supper club" collection. Lots of classic Wisconsin themes! There are gifts for all ages, from infant toys and books to puzzles and cooking kits. The kitchenware is an impressive range, everything you need to expand your skills, store your goodies, or spice up your presentation. Basically, you have to stop in-it's totally worth it!Also, the wonderful staff have gone above and beyond to create a safe and protective shopping experience during this crisis. Please respect them, give space and keep those masks over your nose!

I absolutely love window shopping in here. I suppose I cannot say "their prices are too high," because I probably just shouldn't be in gift shops at my income level. Really awesome stuff, really fun to walk around, and it was mildly delightful to see some folks shuffling in from the snow to attend a cooking class upstairs.Maybe someday i'll (be able to afford to) buy something from here.Super helpful staff.

Lots of great items...fun gifty things to kitchen gadgets and other culinary finds. Staff is friendly, but not overly pushy. They will answer questions when asked and are polite when they do. Some items are pricey, but not outrageous. They do carry a lot of local handcrafted products, so the higher price point is understandable. Again, great gift spot for friends who are foodies, gadget-people or just really in to Madison handcrafted stuff.

I love Orange Tree Imports. This is a really unique place in many aspects. First, they carry a very diverse range of items ranging from kitchen electronics, cutlery, utensils, tea sets, exotic foods, bake ware, creams and moisturizers, shower gels, home decos and toys and gifts for kids. The items they carry works great and are practical to have around the house. I especially like their Japan import section where they bring in cool teapots, sake sets, handmade bowls etc straight from Japan. It helps that they have a different way in which they run the store. Each group member is assigned a specific section of the store in which they come up with the types of items to carry, how items are displayed and the associated logistics. In that way they can better cater to the needs of the customers and really know what they are looking for. Because of this, if there is something you would like, feel free to let the section manager know and there is a great chance he or she can order it in the next time an order is placed, especially if the item has the potential to be popular.In addition, they offer great cooking classes here. This is the best part. I look forward to ending work on class days and then heading over to Orange Tree Imports to learn to cook. So far I have tried sandwich bread, miniature sweet treats and truffle making classes. In all of the classes I walked away knowing how something seemingly so difficult and impossible is made easy by the instructor. And I thought: This is something that I can totally do at home! As you can see I am in love with Orange Tree Imports. As long as you stop by for a visit it is almost impossible not to fall in love with one or more of their stuff.

It's a fun place if you're looking to put together a pricey little care-package.Lots of cool high-quality gift-ty things for the hard to shop for kid or adult. I usually stop in for their supreme collection of chocolates, local (ahem, Gail Ambrosius) and international. The chocolate and candy selection seems to be constantly changing, so I am constantly sampling. Most recently I tried their new singly-wrapped spicy 50 cent carmels. oh la la. as sexy and spicy as they are sticky and sweet.

Orange Tree Imports is a nice store. It has nice things for sale in it. Unfortunately, as Justin W. has mentioned, I don't care to be treated like I am only in a store because I can't wait to steal. Believe me Orange Tree staffers, I don't want to go to jail for stealing one of your precious wooden spoons.

Finally got the rude service I've read about but refused to believe was true. On a recent visit I was intentionally ignored, nearly shoved out of the way by staff, and overall did not feel welcome. It was very busy when I visited and I understand that employees must have been under a lot of stress (this was before Christmas), but that's not an excuse for treating me differently than the other shoppers nearby.I was so unhappy with my visit that I emailed the owner, who, in my opinion, did not handle the matter adequately or professionally. I'm not returning to this establishment and am no longer recommending it to others. Spend your money elsewhere.

All you need to master the culinary artsFar too many hours of my misspent adulthood have been spent wandering the narrow aisles of Orange Tree Imports (OTI). And that's not a particularly bad thing. I attribute much of my growth as a home cook to the wonderful cooking classes I've attended. I also have OTI to thank for my serious addiction kitchen gadgets for which I am in search of a twelve step program. While the store has its idiosyncrasies, it's a tremendous resource to those Madisonians who practice the home culinary arts.Things I like:* I am a HUGE fan of the OTI cooking school. For the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant, you'll gain some mad cooking skills, pick up some great recipes, enjoy a scrumptious meal and get a coupon for 10% off most anything in the store. It's a crazy good value. I've taken about 20 classes there over the past five years and enjoyed the overwhelming majority of them. For instructors, OTI uses chefs from local restaurants or OTI staff members. Some of my favorites were the knife skill class taught by Clark Stone of Wusthof, bread baking class with an instructor from Batch Bakehouse, the pizza making class with an instructor from Roman Candle, a quick bread class with Angie Derr from the Creamery Cafe in Paoli, a dumpling class taught by Jeanne Tentis and anything taught by Francesco Mangano of Osteria Papavero. I've also scored some nice swag from attending classes sponsored by vendors like Le Creuset and Chantal.* I've always found the staff eager to offer advice. OTI seems to hire people whose passion is cooking, so they often have personal experience with many of the items sold in the store.* Selection, selection, selection!!! Cookware, cutlery, kitchen electrics, specialty ingredients, chocolates, coffee and tea brewing supplies, bakeware, cookbooks and gadgets galore - you can find it all at OTI. Things I don't* Finding a parking spot on Monroe Street is a skill that seems to have eluded me.* OTI can be difficult to navigate when it gets busy since the aisles are so narrow. The store can resemble a rush hour Tokyo subway during the holiday shopping season.* Their prices are generally higher than what you can find on-line. I have been able to offset that difference by using the coupons from the cooking school and the quarterly catalog (get on the mailing list!). They also have a customer rewards card that offers additional savings for frequent fliers. I also appreciate the advice I get from the staff and am willing to pay a premium for that.

I left my heart in a Le Creuset pot at Orange Tree Imports. The double-decker kitchen supply area is WHERE IT'S AT. It's impossible for me to browse there and leave sans at least six unnecessary gadgets and four obscure contraptions that I just CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT in my kitchen. Most recent purchases? A tea strainer ball (really, it's cold out, I need more tea), a ravioli stamp (I've been meaning to figure out how to make ravioli for a long time), and a math equations ice cube tray. No excuse for that one.What I'm trying to say is that OTI is the bee's knees. It can get expensive, so if you want to save the big bucks and some time, know what you're looking for before you come. Otherwise, browse to your heart's content and purchase your kitchen essentials locally! Keep your dollars on Monroe St. and the random culinary doo dads in your kitchen.

I used to LOVE this store. Adorable and eclectic gifts, great location, pretty darn charming. In the past, my experiences with the employees were also pretty darn charming, or at least satisfactorily neutral. The last time I was in the store, however, I was made to feel chastised and unwelcome, and while I recognize that this is a very personal response to an impersonal slap down, it left me feeling so stung that I doubt I'll return. What happened was this: I needed a new pair of reading glasses, and I'd gotten the most adorable Peepers from this store in the past. It was 5:50pm, and I saw on their door sign that they closed at 6pm. Great! I thought. I'll pop in and grab a pair. Immediately upon entering, one employee said, "You know we close in ten minutes." "Got it! I'll be quick!" I replied. I went to the rack of glasses, considered a few pairs, and checked the fit in the little mirror on the rack. In that little mirror, I could see the employee behind me, who was frowning and rolling her eyes in exasperation, mouthing to her fellow employees on the other side of the room that , "No, not yet, she's still here." Yikes, I thought, checking my watch. It was 5:55pm, so I chose a pair and went to the register. One last thing--I wanted to get an e-cloth, a product a different employee had recommended to me the last time I was there. I mentioned this to the employee as she grouchily said, "Will that be all?" She huffed, "Well, the e-cloths are in a different part of the store." She strode off, and I said, "Any one will do!" She said, "No, just come pick the one you want." She proceeded to lead me to a section of wash cloths and sink cleaning scrubby brushes? When I explained that no, I was looking for a microfiber cloth to clean the lenses of the glasses with, and that they used to be stocked at the register, she huffed again and said, "Well, they're not anymore, are they? Also, we're just about to close...?" I bought the glasses, walked out the door, and checked my watch. 5:59pm. But golly, those nine minutes I spent in their store, encroaching on what I assume was their rush to be done and escape their pesky customers, left a bad taste in my mouth that nine days later still hasn't left. Which is a bummer. As I said, I really liked that store. Problem is, the cutest merchandise in the world can't make up for poor customer service.