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Mercado Gonzalez

FIRST PLACE: “Altogether, Mercado Gonzalez celebrates and showcases Mexican culture, cuisine and crafts as a food experience, a social destination and a community gathering space”

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Conversion: Supermarket | Submitted by: Shook Kelley
| Photography: Lawrence Anderson (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Robert Sanchez (California)

Mercado Gonzalez

AFTER

Project Scope: The conversion from a former supermarket to a new Mercado Gonzalez (Anaheim, Calif.) grocery aimed to immerse shoppers into a traditional Mexican mercado. Housed in downtown Los Angeles, the design from Shook Kelley (Los Angeles) honors Mexican cuisine and artistry by incorporating cultural craftsmanship, community gathering spaces and traditional puestos within the store. Additionally, vibrant colors and artisanal materials are used throughout and recall the eclectic nature of a mercado. “Altogether, Mercado Gonzalez celebrates and showcases Mexican culture, cuisine and crafts as a food experience, a social destination and a community gathering space,” says Sabrina Fan, Managing Principal, Shook Kelley.

Mercado Gonzalez

Unique Store Planning: The new Mercado Gonzalez was conceived as a true marketplace of specialized experts. “Alleys” and “streets” make up the aisles of Mercado Gonzalez with individual puestos and food carts, all of which have their own point of sale. Guests can also stop at the social patio or the full-service restaurant, all within the same space. “In creating the physical look and feel of the mercado, we crafted each puesto to break from certain unspoken ‘rules’ about consistency within a grocery space,” says Fan. “Ceiling heights change from puesto to puesto, colors change, finishes change, typography changes – everything.”

Mercado Gonzalez

BEFORE

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Unique Details: The mercado creates a curated shopping experience alongside its in-store restaurant, patio and seating for communities to gather. Throughout the space, regional specialties are celebrated, with each puesto referencing a different Mexican region, city or culture through more than 200 paint colors (the graphics on puestos are traditionally hand-painted) and more than 50 light fixtures. Ornately crafted glazed tiles and an artisan-made fountain lend further authenticity to the design. “So, the sense that it’s all an ‘orchestra’ of different instruments playing together,” Fan says. “From what we’ve seen, guests treat it less like a grocery errand and more like a food or social destination.”

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