by Jennifer Alexander Ruple

Father’s Day is around the corner. Why not treat dad to a grilling gift from Durocher’s Appliances? Located at 5555 Monroe St., Durocher’s carries top brands and accessories to help create fabulous outdoor cooking experiences for that special guy, or gal, in your life. “Any of our outdoor appliances make great gifts for dads. Along with appliances, we have accessories for grilling,” said Durocher’s Marketing Director Matt Simpson. “We carry wood pellets, tools and products that can be added on for great gift giving.”
Durocher’s sells grills from one extreme to the other. “We offer everything from small, two-burner grills and tailgating grills to high-end grills, smokers and griddles, some of which are multiuse appliances,” explained Simpson. “We carry all the great brands in grills including Weber, Napoleon and Blaze and top names in smokers such as Big Green Egg and Traeger. For griddles and flat tops we offer Blackstone and Pit Boss. We also have outdoor pizza ovens. There is something here for any level of outdoor cook,” he added.
“Outdoor entertaining is so popular now. It’s sort of a spinoff from Covid as now we can get outside with people again,” said Simpson. All grills from Durocher’s come assembled and are delivered. “Purchases over $599 receive free delivery and setup. Plus, to help customers get grilling right away, we include starter bags of wood pellets, charcoal, or a tank of gas for free.”
For those not in the market for new outdoor appliances, Durocher’s carries a huge assortment of grilling accessories. “We have more accessories than you could own in a lifetime,” said Simpson. For example, the store offers a whole line of Big Green Egg products such as rubs, tools, bottle openers and towels. “People who own Big Green Eggs or ‘eggheads’ love anything with that name on it,” he added.
Durocher’s also has other add-on products such as rotisserie components, turkey racks and beer chicken racks. “For Traeger, add on a front shelf, a new cover, or a sensor that lets you know when you are getting low on pellets,” Simpson suggested. There are also wireless meat thermometers that work through an app on your phone. “Just insert it into a turkey or chicken and it will tell you the temperature and send you an alert when it’s cooked. You can use it in your oven too,” said Simpson. “This place is just full of fun toys for grownups.”
A family-owned company for over 70 years, Durocher’s Appliances has two locations. Its original location in Monroe, Mich., which carries appliances and furniture, was opened in 1951 by Don Durocher, the current President Chris Durocher’s father. In 2019 the company’s second location was opened in Sylvania, which carries mainly appliances. Durocher’s also owns the two La-Z-Boy furniture stores in Toledo.
Both Durocher’s locations offer sales, service and installation.“Our installers and delivery people are all our employees. We provide the exemplary service you don’t get with a third party,” said Simpson.
The store offers a large range of appliance brands from Wolf and Sub-Zero to Whirlpool and GE. “Our owner has a saying about our appliances, ‘the list of brands we don’t carry is much shorter than the list we do carry,’” said Simpson. Appliances are displayed in four live kitchens that are used to host cooking classes and events to show customers how products work. “We also use a digital price tag system that shops the market several times a day. It updates our tags with what’s out there. That way we can offer the lowest price in the market.”