Town & Country reached out to long-time partner Cushing Terrell to remodel their store in Mill Creek, Washington. The client sought to give shoppers a new, fresh look with enhanced ways to interact with each department. The idea began as a smaller-scale, department-specific remodel, but resulted in a more comprehensive redesign as T&C and Cushing Terrell worked together to bring their ideas to life. The main departments that were involved in the remodel were Floral, Produce, Meat, Seafood, HBC, Bulk, Grocery, Deli, and Cheese.
A central theme was to facilitate interaction – bringing customers closer to the products they buy and the people who grow and prepare it. This theme was underpinned by T&C’s three main concepts – food, people, and love. The 57,000-square-foot Town & Country Mill Creek store remodel also pulled from the rich agricultural history in the greater Snohomish area from the past, and the produce and floral area designs highlighted bringing the freshness from the field to the customers.
Building on the idea of food as the focus, the Idea Center Kiosk is centrally located in the Produce and Meat & Seafood areas, where customers can see T&C team members at work. This theatrical element allows people to not just observe, but to interact with the staff.
The new space for bulk department features a customer service desk with pendant lighting clusters to create a visual interest to this area, inviting the customer to shop, explore, and interact with the staff.
The new space for the Health & Body Care area also features a customer service desk and a lowered ceiling to create a more intimate and space. The new food service area has a configured kitchen space, as well as a food service line-up to reflect the cooking and menu they have, plus new finishes and new wall tiles.
The bakery area has a redesigned self-serve pastry and beverage station that ties into the bakery space, with new tile and new finishes to elevate the bakery and coffee experience. The design also modified the main angled wall near the Cheese area to create more window glazing and bring in more daylighting and visual connection to the exterior.
With the updates to the millwork, décor, and finishes, the result is a brighter look with a refreshed color palette that ties together the entire store.
Other interior work involved the installation of lighting fixtures (drop lighting/pendants) and modifications to the existing refrigeration systems; and modifications to the HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems to accommodate the intent of the remodel.
Exterior work focused on created a new enclosure for an indoor seating space on the northwest corner of the building, with operable windows to connect with the outdoor seating area. The use of the red tone color selection tied into the red brick color in the adjacent buildings in the plaza. The indoor/outdoor seating space allows for a new gathering space for the community.
Exterior work also included creating a new enclosure space for the online order fulfillment area with pick-up zone. The online order fulfillment area has glazing facing the parking lot to allow staff to see the customer driving up to pick up, and a service counter on the store interior for customer interaction.
Cushing Terrell design team
Kara Eberle (Project Manager)
Alice Wang (Design Professional)
Project team
Architecture: Cushing Terrell
Contractor: Abbott Construction
Structural Engineer: Dane Jorgensen, Brandon Besser
Mechanical Engineer: Michael Amestoy
Electrical Engineer: Tyler Victorino
Landscape: Stephanie Donovan
Lighting: Tyler Victorino
Interior Designer: Kaare Sola
Client: Town & Country Markets
Photography
William Wright
