Gelson’s Market

Gelson’s Market is a premium food retailer with deep roots in Southern California, long recognized for high-quality ingredients and service—but over time, it had increasingly been perceived as purely expensive and primarily for an older demographic. The challenge was to preserve what loyal customers valued while shifting the brand’s expression toward a more current, lifestyle-driven perspective rooted in contemporary Southern California food culture.

The work focused on reframing Gelson’s as an elevated yet approachable destination for modern shoppers, grounded in a “Caliterranean” sensibility—coastal, seasonal, and Mediterranean-inspired without feeling themed or nostalgic. Through refreshed store design, environmental graphics, and key identity touchpoints, the environments were reimagined to feel brighter, more open, and more connected to the way people actually cook, host, and eat today. Materials, color, typography, and signage were tuned to signal warmth and sophistication rather than formality or exclusivity.

By aligning the physical experience with a more current, Southern California–first point of view, the refreshed system helped Gelson’s move beyond its reputation as a store “only for older, high-spend shoppers.” The new environmental language supports clearer wayfinding, more inviting category moments, and a cohesive sensorial story from exterior to checkout—strengthening loyalty with longtime guests while making the brand more relevant and inviting for a new generation.

Client: Gelson’s Market
Role: Environmental Design
Firm: Shook Kelley
Team Lead: Sabrina Fan
Strategy: Jennifer Kim and Michael Powell
Design: Matt Hendon, Leigh Ryan, Kat Fon and Yusuke Yokoyama
Photography: Lawrence Anderson and Leigh Ryan