In Westbourne, on the southern coast of England, a temple of consumption lives up to its name. It’s a Tesco minimarket – in an old Methodist church.
The location choice was controversial, and one customer still makes the sign of the cross when he enters the store. The stained glass is original, but the church’s candles and liturgical objects have been replaced with crates of spirits, cigarettes and draw tickets. In another building conversion hotly disputed by locals, a Despar supermarket opened last winter in an old theatre on the Strada Nuova, in the historic heart of Venice. The project drew as much praise as criticism. The neo-gothic architectural gem, which first housed a theatre, became a university annex and even a porn cinema before falling into disrepair. The renovation, which saved the building from ruin, was overseen by Venice’s architectural heritage department.
Charcuterie on the stage
In order to highlight its Venetian splendour, special care has been taken with the building’s lighting. Here, there are no neon lights to ruin the mood. The lighting, designed entirely with environmentally-friendly LEDs, emanates from low wood shelving, allowing the beauty of the space to take centre stage. The highlight of the show is a metal structure clad with Angular lights to illuminate the charcuterie counter on the theatre’s former stage. The new stars under the spotlight are cold cuts, smoked meat and air-dried salted products, such as the bresaola de buffalo. To cap off this dream scene, employees wear aprons similar to 16th century painters. It’s a unique shopping experience worthy of La Serenissima, where new inventory is delivered by refrigerated gondolas. Cleverly, the theatre’s old ticket office has now become the customer reception desk.
The place is now the pride and joy of locals and tourists, who regularly take photos in front of the façade. And the store’s manager even claims his clientèle is more peaceful and open to casual conversation. Who knows if more love stories will blossom amid these romantic shelves... Eddy Mitchell’s song “La Dernière Séance”, wouldn’t have to be so melancholy : “But I know fate / From a neighbourhood cinema / It will end up in a garage / In a supermarket.” In France, supermarket companies like Carrefour and Franprix haven’t taken such detailed care in refashioning old cinemas of the Parisian suburbs.
But grandeur and prestige are in the programme at the newest location of Heinen’s supermarket, located in the centre of Cleveland, Ohio.
Here, the cathedral of food opened to loud applause in a building formerly owned by Cleveland Trust, one of the city’s first banks. It’s a real architectural landmark, registered in the inventory of historic monuments. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the architect George B. Post, creator of the celebrated New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. During the remodel, the neoclassical jewel was completely restored to highlight its spectacular stained glass dome and rotunda of murals by Francis Davis Millet (an artist who tragically disappeared in the sinking of the Titanic).
Another reconverted sanctuary of high finance is the Longo store located in the old Imperial Oil Building in Toronto.
The carved stone fortress promises to sublimate its visitors
THE MARKET BY LONGO’S
• Originally: Headquarters of a petrol company
• Constructed in: 1957
• Store opened in: 2015
• Area: 790 m2
HEINEN’S
• Originally: Bank
• Constructed in: 1905-1907
• Store opened in: 2015
• Area: 2500 m2
This skyscraper from the 1950s formerly housed the largest petrol company in Canada. Before the construction of other downtown towers in the '60s, visitors on a clear day could see the spray coming off of nearby Niagara Falls from the building’s observation deck. The masterpiece of international style was recently converted into condominiums. Its residents now have the ability to do their shopping without ever setting foot outdoors. And what shopping! In this subtly veined marble palace, shoppers in the check-out queue can admire Ronald York Wilson’s splendid fresco The Story of Oil. The painting was formerly reserved for the barons of black gold.
The Versailles of food
There is a sad note, however, in this bloom of historical buildings re-converted into palaces of food. We still haven’t recovered from the closing of the New York Food Emporium in 2015. This symbol of gourmet supermarkets, built in the 70s, was adorned with a tiled vault signed by the master craftsman Rafael Guastavino Moreno, author of the ceilings at New York's Grand Central Station. Luckily, New Yorkers have been able to console them-selves with the opening of Trader Joe’s in Brooklyn.
The famous California grocery chain opened up a recent store in the former Independence Bank building. The carved stone fortress features huge arched windows and château chandeliers that promise to sublimate its visitors. But when you’re so busy daydreaming, how are you supposed to remember the butter on your shopping list?
DESPAR
Venice, Italy
• Originally: Theatre
• Constructed in: 1916
• Store opened in: 2017
• Area: 850 m2
TESCO EXPRESS
Westbourne, United Kingdom
• Originally: Methodist church
• Constructed in: 1887
• Store opened in: 2010
• Area: 370 m2
TRADER JOE’S
Brooklyn, United States
• Originally: Bank
• Constructed in: 1850
• Store opened in: 2018
• Area: 1350 m2
