Community-Inspired Retail is Taking Off

Dugas: “These independents have the agility that the big chain stores don’t have, and each does it in a unique way.”

SAN DIEGO—In addition to design features that reflect the local culture, carrying local products and getting involved in local events is important for food retailers, Michigan-based design firm Studio H2G principal Julie Dugas tells GlobeSt.com. Dugas is spearheading a campaign for Barons Market to take the Barons culture and infuse it with the look and feel of the surrounding neighborhood for each of its markets. Among the locations chosen for this program was one of the family-owned grocery-store chain’s newest locations in North Park here at 3231 E. University Ave. The market will feature a community-inspired interior design that blends the feel of the neighborhood with modern architecture to enhance customers’ shopping experience.

Among the innovative design features are wood-carved fruit and vegetable cutouts that will dangle from the ceiling by thick ropes, whose inspiration came from the reclaimed-wood designs exposed across many of North Park’s shops and restaurants; a large central pillar in the middle of the store that will be custom painted by a North Park artist, a reflection of the many pieces of public art and murals decorating the neighborhood; and galvanized metal, white subway tile and a folding cover that will conceal where Barons offers daily food samples, mimicking a food-truck experience inside the grocery store, which plays on the popularity of the traditional food trucks found in North Park. Dugas’ designs will complement architecture plans as outlined by San Diego-based architect John Ziebarth to transform the 15,000-square-foot space. Barons plans to open its North Park location to the public in late fall.