A few weeks ago I visited Chicago and, of course, had to see the new Jewel. It is STUNNING! They did a great job of evoking the mid-century modern design that is prevalent in the adjacent Carl Sandburg Village development while not making it look like a cheap imitation.
The store's layout is pretty unusual, but given the property, there was not much else they could do. The registers, Starbucks, and customer service desk are all along the Division Street side. This is the short side of the building. Butcher Block, Pier 14 (Seafood, which has been used sporadically since Supervalu divested the stores), and milk are on the opposite side of the store. Floral, Produce, and pre-wrapped meat are located along the Clark Street (longer) side of the building. This side has windows at the top of the wall, as you see in the produce pics. Bakery and Dairy are on the opposite side of the store, and Deli and the Cheese Shop are across the aisle from Bakery. The hot food and salad bars are between Deli and Bakery. Wine, Liquor, and the bar (Division on the Rocks) are upstairs. The center store consists of eight very long aisles with cut-throughs (which Jewel had for years and still has in some larger stores). The store does not have a pharmacy. The history on that is pretty interesting. The original store was built in the 1970's without an Osco. When the First Chicago bank branch kitty-corner relocated south on Clark, they opened an Osco in that space. Then Osco was divested to CVS. Given there is a Walgreens on the next corner at Dearborn St and a second CVS one additional block at State, anyone who lives in the neighborhood and has prescriptions fills them at CVS or Walgreens. Also of note, the store carries products that are tailored to the neighborhood, such as obscure spices and salts, "natural" health and beauty aids, and specialty foods.
Here are some pics I took:
Looking down Produce from the main entrance at Division and Clark. (The sign reads "Farmer's Harvest")
Continuing down the Clark street wall to the Butcher Block and Pier 14. Thanks to the way the aisles are placed I couldn't get a good shot of Pier 14. Next time!.
The "Community" sign.
Another shot of the "Community" sign. LOVE that sign! Jewel has a long history of community event sponsorship, so this is more than just wall decor.
Dairy and part of the bakery. Like the Pier 14 sign, it is hard to get a good shot.
Artisan Bakery (like no one would have figured that out!).
Side view of Cheese Shop
View from the Starbucks along the Division Street side. Note that customer service is called "Guest Services." There is a secondary entrance just behind where I was standing when taking the picture.
View from the bar area. Wine and Liquor are adjacent to the bar upstairs. The previous store also had the wine/liquor departments in a loft.
Close-up of an aisle sign. Unlike Kinzie Street and Southport, which also have custom interiors, the aisle markers do not display street names.