PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Summer 2013 marked the start of the store transformation in Boyle Heights. Euclid Market, on Euclid Avenue near the corner of 6th St., received a physical and programmatic overhaul. Public Matters worked with the storeowners, The Avila Family, Nathan Cheng, and Community Liaisons to brainstorm floor plan options, color schemes, and overall store designs.
The Community Liaisons + local students from The School of Communication, New Media + Technology (CNMT) at Theodore Roosevelt High School took responsibility of the store by going into the store and doing the measurements themselves and doing layouts for the store. Getting their hands dirty they went in to clean the store, rearrange it and learn how make the store more inviting.
The Community Liaisons in the summer of 2013 consisted of Andy Alvarez, Destinee Arriero, Guillermo Avila, Lizbeth Banuelos, Darinee Garba, Steven Cadona, Lilybeth Hernandez, Jocelyn Herrera, Clara Mejia, Martha Mejia, Karina Pulido, Shirley Ramirez, Alma Reyes, and Miriam Rosas.
Make sure to watch the Artbound feature on the Market Makeover at Euclid here.
PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION – EXTERIOR
Generic “Market” was the original name to Euclid. The exterior seemed just as appetizing as the name itself.
Maria Avila worked with the Community Liaisons and Public Matters to define the transition from bland white wall to the beautiful blues and whimsical silhouettes that exist today.
PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION – INTERIOR
Initially walking into the Euclid Market, a person could have been overwhelmed by the selection of chips, shelves and disorganization. The large store was filled to the brim with stuff that had no specific order.
Nathan Cheng, alongside the Community Liaisons, looked at designs for floor plans, colors that would coordinate with the exterior, and a layout for the whole store that would flow. This interior transformation kicked into gear when the Community Liaisons started the hard labor of cleaning, painting and reorganizing the shelving units that were already in place.
The Market Makeover:
- opened up the space;
- consolidated the store inventory in a more organized manner;
- increased efficiency and promoted a better sense of spatial flow throughout the store;
- and brought natural light in by opening up the front windows to the street.
The reorganization of the store was essential to making the store more open and inviting to the neighborhood.
ENGAGEMENT
A Market Makeover is a long-term endeavor. The time immediately after a store’s physical transformation is crucial. You want to make sure you keep the momentum going, the public visibility up, and the customers buying the newly installed fresh inventory.
Young community leaders were tasked with working towards change in their neighborhood. Thanks to Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050, these young adults were able to continue beyond the high school classroom and graduation into paid positions working on Market Makeovers. The Community Liaisons’ job task list included:
- Physical conversion of the store
- Public presentations
- Training of in-store operations
- Social marketing campaigns
As Community Liaisons emerged from this process, not only did they work on the stores to fulfill their specific tasks, but learned to be the leaders that their communities need.
GRAND RE-OPENING
On Saturday, Decemeber 14, 2013, Euclid Market re-opened to the Boyle Heights community offering a new healthy retailer to the neighborhood. the result of a collaborative effort by local youth, community members, the Ramirez family (storeowners), UCLA students and staff, Nathan Cheng Consulting, and Public Matters through the UCLA-USC Center for Population Health and Health Disparities (CPHHD)’s Proyecto MercadoFRESCO.
The day began with the Community Liaisons in their fruits + vegetable costumes and mariachis marching around the surrounding neighborhood of the store handing out invitations to the event.
The event also included a mini health fair in the back of the store providing the community with high blood pressure screenings, face painting and cooking demonstrations.
CHOCOLATE COVERED VALENTINE’S DAY
Community Liaisons + CMNT students came together on Valentine’s Day 2014 to prepare chocolate covered strawberries to sell inside the store to demonstrate that love includes healthy eating.
SUPER SNACK ATTACK
Community Liaisons + CMNT students came together with the giant fruits + vegetables to have a food demo for the community. Inside the store the items used in the recipes were on sale!
This project was supported under a subcontract with the UCLA Center for Population Health and Health Disparities (CPHHD) under Grant No 1P50-105188-01 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
