New England Tradition Gets A Modern Edge

The spirit of New England is captured in The Market, a modern supermarket with Early American charm. The 14,000-sq.-ft., upscale food store is located in Pinehills, a planned community in historic Plymouth, Mass. From the outside, the building, a ground-up construction project, resembles a vintage barn.

“The store fits in perfectly with the surrounding architecture as all of the housing in the community has a similar type of vintage feel,” said Harry Steen, creative director, Design Services Group (DSG), Eden Prairie, Minn., a subsidiary of Supervalu.

The same note is echoed inside the store, whose rustic decor, window treatments and high ceilings are in line with classic barn interiors.

“It’s vintage-looking, with a very organic feel,” Steen said.

The decor elements are subtle, with plenty of attention paid to detail. Signage and graphics are minimal, with no hanging banners or the like. For the owners and design team, simplicity was key.

“I’m old school when it comes to retailing: I want customers to look at the food, not up or down. I believe in keeping things simple and letting food be the highlight of the space,” said Michael Szathmary, managing director, The Market.

The Market is owned by New England Development, Newton, Mass., which owns and manages retail, office and residential real estate developments, including Pinehills, throughout the Northeast. The company hired Szathmary, who was influential in the launch of Nature’s Heartland natural-food supermarkets in the early ’90s (the company was eventually sold to Whole Foods Market) to oversee the creation and serve as managing director of the operation.

The Market combines specialty foods, full-service deli, meats, bakery, cheese and seafood departments with a generous selection of prepared foods and perishables. It also offers conventional groceries, at everyday prices.

“I don’t believe people need super-stores if you can give them quality, service and selection,” Szathmary said, “and that’s our game plan here. This is what supermarkets used to be.”

The Market opened in November 2008, and customer reaction, according to Szathmary, has been phenomenal.

“It’s really worked out well and been very well received,” he added. “We’re very pleased.”

Interior: Despite its relatively small footprint, the store seems open and spacious, a feeling that is enhanced by the lack of clutter.

“We wanted the environment to be inviting and authentic, but we didn’t want to get too kitschy or over-the-top with the design,” DSG’s Steen explained. “We made sure that the look [of the store] did not overpower the food on display.”

A local craftsman provided sand-blasted wood signage, a style common to 19th-century New England. In keeping with the rustic theme, all the woodwork in the store was hand-distressed.

The majority of the flooring consists of dyed concrete slabs with a weathered matte finish that evokes the look of worn leather. Vinyl hardwood is also featured.

“The palette is warm and inviting,” Steen said, “with light mustard colors, two tones of oak and dark browns.”

Notable design elements include a hayloft-styled bakery and cheese island, and aisle endcaps that are modeled after old farmhouse bureaus.

“The bakery and cheese island are located under a hayloft structure,” Steen said. And all the bakers work inside the prep area, which is open to the public.”

In addition, a custom ceiling fan with an approximate 20-ft. span circulates air throughout the space. The fan provides energy-efficient climate control and also serves as an integral part of the design. (The Market also features an on-site waste-disposal machine, Bio-Ez, from Waste to Water Environmental, which turns organic waste into a liquid that can be disposed of through the sewer system to reduce waste.)

Theatrical lighting enhances the store’s overall look. Directional spotlighting focuses shoppers’ attention on select fixtures and merchandise.

“The gondolas are all self-lit so you get a very stage-like feel to the overall space,” Steen added.

In an equally dramatic touch, all the fixtures and refrigerated casework in the store are black.

As to additional Markets in the future, managing director Szathmary said it is a possibility, but too early in the game for any decision.

“At this size, the concept can roll out anywhere,” he added.