Urban Radish to Debut in LA's Arts District

Urban Radish, a farm fresh community market, plans to debut an eco-friendly, urban market concept in Downtown Los Angeles' Arts District early next year.

The store, which is slated to open March 2013, will feature seasonal fresh produce, high quality meats and seafood, dairy and other daily necessities. The location is being designed around the unique lifestyle of city dwellers whose shopping preferences have shifted from shopping major grocery chains to wanting a more personal experience, farmer's market freshness, and a high quality-to-value priced offering.

The architectural vision for Urban Radish, which will be the first specialty grocery store in the neighborhood, was to create a space that artfully displays the season's best locally sourced fresh produce and high quality meats and seafood while encouraging social interaction. The building that houses the market is being re-purposed from an 8,200-square-foot former glass manufacturing warehouse owned by Linear City, located within a parking lot at 660 Mateo Street.

Creative Space's Director of Design and Construction, Evan Raabe, worked closely with Urban Radish, whose vision was to keep the architectural attributes of the original space, but also add sustainable design features. The goal of construction was to generate the least amount of impact and waste by using all materials currently in place. One of the building's most defining attributes is the iconic, larger-than-life-sized chipmunk mural painted on the building's side by street muralist Peter Roa, for the L.A. Freewalls Project. New design features will include an outdoor seating area for customers to enjoy freshly prepared, seasonal meals; landscape design featuring native plants to cover, cool and insulate the building from the sun; and one of the largest electric car charging stations in the U.S located in its parking lot.

"The Arts District has emerged as a highly sought after neighborhood for creative businesses and residents alike, but remains true to its roots as a close-knit artist community," said Tyler Stonebreaker, founder and CEO, Creative Space. "It was important to Urban Radish that this market reflect the unique needs and vibe of the neighborhood in everything from the architecture to products sold."