Gelson’s #17

Santa Barbara, Calif.
First place Supermarket

Gelson's #17 was a cookie-cutter space in a special place. The supermarket is in Santa Barbara, Calif., the self-proclaimed “American Riviera” that's renowned for its Spanish Mission architecture. But you'd never have known that by looking at this Gelson's store, with its plain vanilla, boxy façade. The inside of the store was pretty standard issue, as well.

Brought in to help the store better reflect the area's strong architectural heritage was King Retail Solutions (Eugene, Ore.). Outside, designers collaborated with the architectural firm of Lenvik & Minor (Santa Barbara) and the city of Santa Barbara to create a high-profile wooden Spanish Colonial façade. Inside, designers strove to evoke a Spanish courtyard via such features as a sculpted wall fountain in the produce department and a carved hearth in the bakery. The store's perimeter is home to a terra cotta ceramic floor with a multicolored broken tile pattern, which winds through the bakery and deli departments and serves to set those fresh-food areas apart from other departments.

“The biggest challenge we faced in this remodeling was the fact that the structure of the building is very old, and would not support any additional weight,” says Becky Phegley, King Retail Solutions' business development manager. “We took care to design around the weight restriction, without losing any of the elements in any other Gelson's project. In addition, there was an existing mezzanine that we had to retain, which limited our ability to influence the architecture to create differentiation in the departments.”

Client: Gelson's Markets, Encino, Calif.
Robert Stiles, president
Drew Randolph, director, construction and maintenance
Christopher Cochran, project director, design and construction

Design: King Retail Solutions, Eugene, Ore.
Christopher Studach, design director
Mike Hopper, lead designer
Anna Victoria, designer
Becky Phegley, business development manager
David Thigpen, lead draftsperson
Darshan Sadhana, draftsperson
Jeremy Phifer, detailer

Architect: Lenvik & Minor, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Jeff Gorrell, principal
Amy Von Protz, lead designer

General Contractor:Palladeo, Chino, Calif.
Paul Halverson, project manager

Flooring: Dal-Tile, Dallas

Refrigeration: Hussmann Refrigeration, Chino, Calif.

Photography: PhotOregon, Eugene, Ore.