Capitol Hill BlogWhen word got out we were looking at the neighborhood as a possible location for a new Stockbox, we were pretty immediately swarmed with community support from people on First Hill.
Carrie Ferrence and Jacqueline Gjurgevich started small… very small. Their first store – an experiment in providing good, nutritious food in urban food deserts – was housed in a shipping container in the Delridge neighborhood. Carrie and Jacqueline have since opened stores in South Park and First Hill with the First Hill store is by the far the largest to date. Mētis had the good fortune to work alongside Carrie, Jacqueline, and Mark Wolf of Wolf Design on a concept appropriate to the larger space. In contrast to their earlier stores, the new space has a light, airy and inviting feel that fits Carrie’s and Jacqueline’s goal of establishing Stockbox as a neighborhood hub.
Team
- Luther Chatel
- Sebastian Kimura
Collaborators
The Stockbox build-out was completed in collaboration with Carrie Ferrence and Jacqueline Gjurgevich of Stockbox along with Mark Wolf of Wolf Design. Special thanks to Kemly Electric, Fischer Plumbing, Above and Beyond Drywall, and Crane Painting. Photographs courtesy of Suzi Pratt.
Press
A grocer with a mission, Stockbox started out as a culminating project on sustainable economy between students at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. The idea was to bring fresh produce to areas of the city suffering from “food deserts,” or a measurable dearth of nutritious food providers. “Our team was adamant about testing this model in the real world—creating small format grocers with fresh produce so every community has access to good food,” Ferrence said. Stockbox’s first store in the Seattle area opened in South Park in summer 2012. By November, it had already announced a slate of changes based on buying behavior and customer requests. The company continues to be involved with civic issues related to the availability of nutritious, affordable food in lower income and urban areas of the city. The produce at the First Hill location will come from Marra Farms, an organic community garden in South Park. At 2,000 square feet, the First Hill grocery will be a much more densely packed version of the giant footprint required for big grocery chains like QFC and Safeway but larger than its South Park iteration. It will focus on fresh, locally sourced milk, meat, produce, grains, and “grab and go” meals.
” — Capitol Hill Seattle-
