Relocated a short distance from its previous riverfront location, this supermarket retains current customers while attracting shoppers from the newly developed downtown business/residential district with an emphasis on old-fashioned service, high-quality perishables, and home meal replacement, including a broad assortment of fresh sushi. Customer response has been tremendous, eclipsing weekly revenue from the old store by over 25%.

The Blue Goose Market has been a landmark in St. Charles for over 75 years. Originally located directly on the banks of the Fox River, the retailer agreed to move a couple of blocks west when the city wanted to develop multifamily housing along the riverfront.  Moving even a block was initially a great concern for Blue Goose owner Dave Lencioni.  “I’ve known many of my customers since I was a kid stocking shelves,” Dave said. “But the city made it clear that they wanted to keep our store and make it a focal point of their new downtown plan. Their support made the choice to move a lot easier.”

The store’s unique blueprint took a page from the old Blue Goose by incorporating some of the old building’s distinct design features. “The tower’s sloped rooflines and arched entries were inspired by the old location’s original design,” said Mike Klein, DSG’s lead architect. “The entire design, from the tremendous amount of daylighting and the exposed roof to the blue standing seam metal roofing on the towers and the canopy, was designed to give the store a spacious, airy feeling.” 

With vintage tin ceiling panels, a rich dyed concrete floor, and old black-and-white photos of the original store, the interior of the store recalls the historic period when the St. Charles downtown district began to boom in the 1920s and '30s. “The art deco look is being revitalized on the riverfront, and our aim was to make the store fit into this environment,” says DSG Creative Design Supervisor Harry Steen.

While The Blue Goose Market features plenty of vintage design elements, the lighting is unmistakably modern. Rows of large windows let in plenty of natural light, and high-contrast spot lighting in various departments invoke drama in the food presentation.

DSG provided store planning, interior design and décor, architecture and engineering services, project management and equipment procurement for the new Blue Goose Market.