About The Show:

“The design of the co-op building was about more than just aesthetics. It was about creating a space that could overcome challenges and leverage its unique features to thrive and grow”.

- Chris Baribeau

Chris Baribeau is more than just an architect; he's a local hero deeply invested in his community. His involvement with Ozark Natural Foods wasn't merely professional; it was a labor of love. Tasked with reinventing a former Safeway and Marvin's IGA, Chris faced more than just design challenges. He had the weight of community expectations on his shoulders.

Chris rose to the occasion with creativity and vision, transforming the space into more than just a store. It became a haven for college students, a gathering spot for locals, and a symbol of the Co-Op's resilience. His design didn't just meet aesthetic goals; it captured the very essence of the Co-Op, turning the location into a hub for communal interaction.

Every time Chris passes by the Co-Op now, he can take pride in knowing his work has had a lasting impact. His story serves as a testament to the transformative power of community involvement, innovative design, and personal dedication.

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

• Discover the unique journey and growth of the Co-Op Building that brought it to its current charm.
• Uncover the elements that enhance visitor’s experience and appreciation when they step into the Co-Op space.
• Learn about the honor and pride that members hold in making the Co-Op their second home.
• Understand the pivotal role of the only Food Co-Op in Arkansas in boosting local food production.
• Recognize the welcoming environment of Ozark Natural Foods that opens its doors for all, fostering a sense of community.

All this and more on this episode of Ozark Natural Foods The Co-Op Podcast.

Important Links and Mentions In This Episode:

• Visit the Co-Op in person to experience the unique design and atmosphere created by Modus Studio.
• Explore the Co-Op's new location at the corner of Lafayette and College Avenue in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
• Visit Ozark Natural Foods: The Co-Op website to learn more about their history, standards of quality, and the importance of being locally focused.
• Follow Modus Studio on Facebook.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Ozark Natural Foods

Connect More With Ozark Natural Foods:

• Grab our Newsletter 
• Email Us at Info@ONF.Coop
• Connect With Our Facebook Page 
• Join The Facebook Group
• Connect With Our Instagram 
• Connect With Our LinkedIn Page
• Learn more about the History of Food Coops

We get by with a little help from our Co-Op Members and Friends!

Please consider rating and reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts or your Podcast player of choice. A little Love goes a long way. 

ONF COOP – CHRIS BARIBEAU, MODUS STUDIO

TZL Open [0:00]

So welcome to Ozarks Natural Foods, the Co-Op Podcast featuring stories and information about the largest food Co-Op in Arkansas based in Fayetteville and serving all of Northwest Arkansas. The Co-Op has been around for 50-plus years, providing community and encouraging a love of food that is good for us and our planet. Learn our history and standards of quality. Meet our Co-Op members, employees and vendors, and understand why being locally focused is vital to our food, products, and economy. The Co-Op has leveraged Co-Operative economics here in Northwest Arkansas to bring the freshest and the best food to our whole community. Listen to Ozark Natural Foods the Co-Op podcast today to learn why.

Randy Wilburn [0:58]

Chris Baribeau [2:49]

Great, Randy. Thanks for having me.

Randy Wilburn [2:51]

Absolutely. I'm glad that we've had a chance to just kind of chat a little bit before we actually started this podcast. I would love for you just for the uninitiated, just to tell folks that are listening to this podcast a little bit about who Chris Baribeau is and you can get into the nuances of Modus Studio as well.

Chris Baribeau [3:08]

Randy Wilburn [4:54]

Yeah, and I want people to clearly understand too that you didn't just fly in out of nowhere. We being the Co-Op didn't go out and hire some big-name architect from some other part of the country to come in and design. You're not only an architect locally, but you also are a member of the Co-Op, so there is that part of it, right? I think it's important for people to understand that. And I wanted to just make it clear to people listening to this, that you had some skin in the game above and beyond, wanting to deliver the best design that you could deliver. You care about the place because you frequent it on a regular basis.

Chris Baribeau [5:33]

That's completely accurate. It's a self-satisfying, or self-serving condition where you can make the places that you like to go to even better through the work that you do. I mean, that's one of the greatest opportunities available.

Randy Wilburn [5:47]

I love hearing that. For the uninitiated that aren't familiar with how things came about. At some point in time, Mike Anzalone, who was the general manager at that time and still is at the time of recording this, Mike had come to you guys about looking at some options on what could be done at the old location and that's originally how the conversation started.

Chris Baribeau [6:10]

That's exactly right, Randy. So the initial conversations about taking the old location at Evelyn Hills and I want to say working within the first 20 feet, let's call it the threshold, the entry to the Co-Op, how could we kind of reposition that, visually and aesthetically. The entry, creating outdoor and indoor spaces for people to gather and enjoy the food that was coming from the Co-Op is really a way to differentiate it from the rest of Evelyn Hills Shopping Center because it was a property owned directly by the Co-Op at the time. So that was kind of the first approach to the project. Our first engagement architecturally with the project was to really see how we could do something that would be eye-catching from college, bring more attention, and let's not shy away from the fact that this is coming off the introduction of Whole Foods to Fayetteville, Arkansas and the impact that has on the local Co-Op when that comes online. So it was really an opportunity to say okay, how do we sort of rebrand or re-face this so that the community understands that the Co-Op is still here and still thriving and still ready to have people visit?

Randy Wilburn [7:15]

I got to think that timing was everything when it came to that because Whole Foods came in and this was Whole Foods pre-Amazon. They came in and everybody was like, oh my gosh, this is going to change everything for us, and it did have an economic impact on the Co-Op but the Co-Op survived. But I also think that one of the things that gave us some fuel to fight the encroachment of some of the bigger companies that do the same thing that the Co-Op does, which is to sell healthy and organic food and supplies and things that are minimally processed was that we were able to look at this building as an option of expansion and leverage that to create greater awareness and to help overcome some of the challenges that Whole Foods created for the Co-Op.

Chris Baribeau [8:03]

Absolutely. And I think as we began that early concept of just refacing the previous location, all of the operative words about community and placemaking and the organic nature, obviously, of what's being provided, the minimally processed as you say, as this sort of idea of coming together as an egg basket, if you will, a place to collect people and ideas and similar thoughts. All of that sort of fed into an architectural concept that we were thinking about there. And then we had Mike come to us with this opportunity to actually reposition completely the Co-Op to a new location, as you mentioned, Lafayette and North College, which was extremely exciting.

Randy Wilburn [8:41]

And so, for you guys at Modus, this was not really your first walk in the park. You've had some experience working on some pretty unique projects. I would love to learn what this presented for you that maybe you hadn't fully exercised your focus on influence when it came to design. What challenges did this location present to you that was maybe something new that you had to encounter?

Chris Baribeau [9:10]

That's a great question. So, by far, certainly our first grocery store. You don't get to do a whole lot of those. Typically, there isn't a whole lot of those built unless you're in the business of providing things for larger corporations. But, I think we saw it as sort of the heart of a placemaking project. People like to gather around food and especially the opportunity and the mission to gather around healthy food and to reposition this within the minds and hearts of the community into this new location at Lafayette and North College. For us, this was sort of at the root of the kind of community placemaking work that we like to do. We've certainly done a lot of other unique projects, whether it's another mixed-use or multifamily projects or university level, places we're very much accustomed to working on, and places where we can bring people together. But, I think the Co-Op’s mission behind healthy food and community support within that is a very unique opportunity, and we embrace it, of course. And again, we drive by this location every day, Lianne and I, on the way up to our house. We sort of see this older dilapidated, old Marvins IGA building that we've all been in and wrapped in a kind of a mini sea of parking and then asphalt around it and just really thinking, how can we reactivate this corner? It’s such a great location. On axis with the University, adjacent to downtown, highly walkable, right on the College Avenue corridor. It had all of these things and all this potential and overthinking there's this big dump box that we need to do something really great.

Yeah, and just for anybody listening to this that's not familiar with the landscape here in Fayetteville. Dickson Street, which runs perpendicular to College Avenue. So College Avenue is the main intersection of thoroughfare that runs north and south throughout all of the main cities in Northwest Arkansas, all the way up to Bentonville - Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville. It runs all the way down south of town, through the end of Fayetteville and beyond. And Dickson Street, which is basically the main artery off of college onto the campus area, or the main entertainment district, if you will, that leads to the campus of the University of Arkansas, that's just one block over from the corner of Lafayette and North college. So for those of you that are listening that aren't quite familiar with the area, it was a big deal to land that kind of location in that spot. I think the numbers that I heard were at least 26,000 cars a day past that intersection of Lafayette and North College. So there's a lot of traffic, and one of the bigger issues and one of the bigger benefits for the Co-Op was having a space that could get a lot more foot traffic and wasn't kind of behind a building if you will, the way the old Co-Op location was. So there were just some natural things that lent themselves to that location being so much more amenable for the kind of store that the Co-Op is that made a lot more sense in terms of relocation.

Absolutely. I think the corner location, again, on the edge of the university, really truly makes the current Co-Op location sort of a beacon for the community, which is what the underlying mission I think is always has been a big player and a big part of. As architects who care about the work deeply that we're trying to do, understanding that mission and understanding those commonalities, and the impetus that makes a product super unique from a design standpoint, that's the kind of stuff we're looking for. So how do we use those ideas and concepts to invigorate the design process? That was really important to us.

It has to be. And I think the thing that really stood out to me was how easily things kind of came together. The idea for doing the project happened several years before the actual project was built. It took some time. We're going back as far as 2016, maybe 2017 where initial conversations happen. And then, of course, some of the project kind of crept into the pandemic so you had that aspect of it, right? We weren't dealing with a financial meltdown but we were dealing with a meltdown of other proportions that created other challenges. It's almost appropriate that the Co-Op was able to survive all of this and continue to thrive and grow, and a lot of it was because of the newness of the location because of the interesting design. But, not only that, it wasn't just that people saw this building and said, hey, I've got to check it out but it actually became a haven for a lot of college students during the pandemic that honestly didn't have a lot of places to go. And that Tap Room, which is the area with a coffee stand is where you can order some wine or beer and hang out on the patio. That Tap Room made a huge difference for a lot of people that needed a place to go, that needed to get out of the dorm room, that needed to get out of their house and try something different. It made a huge difference for them.

Absolutely. And I'd say pandemic or not our biggest idea on the entire project was lo and behold we're going to remove some parking and put the biggest front porch in Fayetteville Arkansas for people to see and be seen. How do we bring the community visually together was the biggest idea that we had which the pandemic only proved. The other reason you just mentioned. That was really what it was about. It was about putting the entry on the corner with those very keywords. It states Everyone is Welcome to make sure that that's an understood piece of Ozark Natural Foods as a Co-Op and give some outdoor space right along the lifeblood conduit of Northwest Arkansas along College Avenue.

Well, and it's a funny thing and I'll be purely transparent with you. As I'm driving down College going north, I always slow down when I'm in that little section of the block just to see who's out on the patio and just to kind of get a glimpse of it, and I think that's the beauty of it. The patio is almost like bees to honey, right? You have this wonderful place. You can get a hammock and sit out there. There are several different places where you can sit. There are swings. It's just not like something you normally see. And I've been to a lot of Co-Ops around the country, and I have yet to visit a Co-Op that is as inviting on the outside as Ozark Natural Foods as the Ozark Natural Foods building is.

I appreciate that. That was the idea. And I think, again, that’s at the heart of being in the community and understanding the place in which you're working and also just what you want to see happen. When you're invested in this and when you're invested in the place, and the design process those are the kind of ideas that come to the forefront where we can have the opportunity to bring that community, the larger community together. And I can say too, once this came online, which was basically in the pandemic, just seeing the population that would grab hold of that outdoor and indoor space and actually having space to congregate, in some ways, it was sort of what you said, like bees to honey. It was just kind of the right spot at the right time in a situation that no one could have ever obviously fathom a pandemic situation, but we're really happy the way it worked out for sure

It's definitely lightning in the bottle, whatever trite saying you would like to come up with, it's one of those that definitely makes a difference. So you guys came up and you worked with Mike and the rest of the team at Ozark Natural Foods. You worked closely with the Board and you wanted to help everybody capture the understanding of what you were going to try to do. What was the biggest challenge that you faced as you moved forward with your design with just getting everybody bought into, okay, yeah, this is definitely good for the community. That location at the corner of Lafayette and College is part of the historic district. There are a number of stakeholders, and I'm using air quotes now that everybody wants to have. You can either run into nimbys or yimbys, right? So either not in my backyard or yes, in my backyard. But how did you navigate that? What did you want the focus to be for people when you were initially coming up with the design for what we now see at that corner?

Yeah, I think, thankfully, I think we only ran into yimbys on this project, which is definitely not normally the case. I think because it was an existing building and it had always been a place to go for food and it has always been a grocery store, it always had a big box position to it. And so, I think the idea that we were able to renovate that, but with the mission that comes with Ozark Natural Foods, I think that was always well received within the neighborhood and within the larger community. And, of course, as you said, working very closely with Mike and the rest of the team and the Board, I would say one of the largest challenges, and this is probably true of many projects, obviously, there's always a budget. But in this particular project, I think we had a lot of square footage to work with and I think the big key was finding the right balance to not double the size of the Co-Op arbitrarily, to balance the customer base and the product base so that even as the pandemic was coming on line, it's like we need to have enough product to put on the shelf so you don't walk into what you feel like is an empty space. There are so many of these variables that are honestly in some ways outside of normal architectural issues that we're trying to deal with within the community in general. Those are the types of ongoing challenges but it really became about that balance about finding that sort of sweet spot of what's the right size Co-Op leaving space for a future addition, maybe bring attendant space in which we did with generations, and then again, also, when we had the idea of building the biggest front porch in Fayetteville, Mike saw the value in that and the Board saw the value in that and we very purposely worked diligently to hold the right budget. I would say a lot of times landscape and outdoor spaces are the things that get cut from products because they're not always necessarily seen as like the critical functional aspect but I would argue without question that that front porch is a critical functional piece of architecture.

It really is. I mean it's a no-brainer. And when I think of it too, and a lot of people don't realize it but those that have been here for a while, I want to say that the space at the old Co-Op location was actually bigger than the space that we have now, right?

I believe if you count the basement that was there.

Right, because the basement was huge; it was ginormous, but you can only do a few things with a basement. And so I almost feel like you did more with less because you had the opportunity to reinvent your thought process as to how we can utilize the space and also come up with an entrance that is traditionally when you build a big box retail space, which, although I don't think the square footage would count as big box. But let's just say for argument's sake, imagine going into a Walmart or some other location, or some other building, or Target for that matter that has the entrance on the corner like that. Just little things like that which is just like, wow, this is unique, and it feels different and gives you access to a space that in a way that you would normally experience.

That's right. And that whole process or journey of sort of going into the Co-Op and finding your way through the produce and by the coffee bar and as you work the circuitous path through Ozark Natural Foods, all that's very choreographed. We live in the land of the largest corporate retailer in the world so there could probably use more thought energy, and what's the most appropriate way to lay out a grocery store in Northwest Arkansas than anywhere else in the world? But all of that is very mapped out and thoughtful and so you start to think about what is that experience like architecturally, finishes, and design interiors. All of that really adds up to the whole that becomes the experience of Ozark Natural Foods. And so it's kind of a game changer for Ozark Natural Foods so this new Co-Op location and repositioning really create something special.

And the thing that I also want to mention, you guys won a couple of awards, you guys got an ASID Award, which is an interior design award for excellence in design award; that was in 2021. The Co-Op also came in second place in the US Building of the Year poll on world architects, and you came in second to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC. I mean, when I saw that, I was like, oh my gosh, that's big news, and the fact that little old Fayetteville is on the map like that with this type of building. There are people out there that travel around to see these types of buildings. This is something that they enjoy doing. And we said it earlier, when we talked about just the genius of working with an outstanding architect, like Marlin Blackwell, and I mentioned Frank Lloyd Wright. And sometimes, you know, some of these amazing architects have designed buildings that are in places that you wouldn't expect. And so here you have this designed building that you guys did at Modus that has been recognized around the world, for that matter, in terms of the design aesthetic, and what you guys were able to put out, and it's just a Co-Op in Arkansas. I'm being facetious, but it's more than just a Co-Op, it's just a Co-Op in Arkansas. Because of the design and the time and effort that you put into it, you've kind of helped the Co-Op be put on the map as far as that's concerned.

Well, thank you. We're certainly honored and proud of the legs that this, I would say, the humble little building with a humble mission has sort of grown and taken off. And again, I think that's just a testament to sort of the community support, the ability for people to kind of ideally get behind the commonality of like a healthy food mission, and then ultimately, just making a good placemaking project, just making a place that people want to hang out; bringing people to that. And even if they previously weren't members of the Co-Op and weren't accustomed to shopping at Ozark Natural Foods, all of a sudden, there are other amenities, these other things that make people want to go there and see and be seen and, before you know it, you've sort of accomplished some of those goals. And so I think a good piece of architecture done well is always reinforcing those ideas.

It absolutely is. I certainly applaud all the efforts that you put in and I know that even for a fact that there are some certain aspects of that building that haven't even been fully utilized yet. So there are other things that as the Co-Op progresses over time they might be able to do with that space. There's space on the side. I mean, there's just a lot to that building that's quite unique. And so I certainly appreciate all the time and effort that you put into thinking about ways that you could expand it without necessarily expanding the footprint of the building and that takes a little bit of skill. That takes I think more than anything, some creativity and some thinking and I hate to use this expression but outside of the box to design the box. And so, I think you guys did a wonderful job. Is there anything that you would like to leave with our listeners just about the building itself and what they should be thinking about as they use it on a regular basis to appreciate what you guys have been able to put together?

I think that's a great question and an opportunity to answer in an honest and earnest way. I think I really would want people hopefully appreciate it without maybe even knowing is just sort of simplicity. The simple materiality that's used, the simple way in which we sort of carved out the spaces or clad the spaces, in a lot of ways letting the sort of menagerie of products that you find inside the Co-Op; the art and the decoration. We're trying to create an armature for people to engage in. That's really what we're honestly trying to do a lot of times is just sort of create that backbone that the architecture that then people can kind of plug into and kind of make it their own. So for us just seeing people enjoy it and use it and hang out there; that's kind of the whole thing.

I would have to imagine because of where your office is located and where the Co-Op is, you actually get to ride by every day and admire your handiwork, right? So that's got to be affirming for you to be like, wow, okay, this is kind of cool because I was a part of this and hopefully, it's always going to be a foundational building block of our community moving forward. It's been around for 50-plus years and we hope the Co-Op is around for another 50-plus years. So I think you and Modus Studio will have a major part in that story as we move forward. So I want to thank you so much for all the time and effort that you've put in, both you and your wife, Leanne, who works with you at Modus. Shout out to Leanne, who at the time of recording this is also a Board member, but she wasn't a board member when you guys were working on this so just to be clear about that. But it's just nice that I'm always reminded that in our community, they are people from all walks of life, from all experiences that when we come together we can be the best version of ourselves. What we were able to do with the Co-Op with the support of your organization and what we were trying to do with the Co-Op that is emblematic of what that means to be a community. So I want to thank you very much for being a part of that. It's just a gentle reminder every day of what happens when great minds come together to do great things.

That's right. Thanks, Randy.

Well, folks, there you have it, another episode of the Co-Op Podcast from Ozark Natural Foods. Glad we had a chance to sit down with Chris Baribeau and talk about the design for the new location that the Co-Op is currently located at the corner of Lafayette and North College. I mean, again, if you've ever been to the old location, and you've been to the new one, it's like night and day; there's a huge difference there. But again, the thing that I want all of you to hear is that the Co-Op has iterated over time and it has continued to advance. And now, we're at a different stage right where it's almost like when I look at this new building, it's like we're a butterfly now. We have finally gone through the cocoon period, and we've come out the other side and now we're this really nice butterfly and everybody can appreciate it so I really want to encourage you. If you haven't been to the Co-Op, or if you've only heard about it, or if somebody has shared this podcast with you, I want you to get to the Co-Op at the corner of Lafayette and North College and visit it for yourself and then reach out to us and let us know what you think about the building and about the space. Again, if you're a part of the Co-Op and you're a member, that's your building. So you should have some pride in sharing that with other people that don't know about it. And I certainly want to encourage you to take part in it that way outside of just shopping in there on a regular basis and supporting the only food Co-Op in the state of Arkansas. So, I guess, I hope you enjoyed that episode. I know I enjoyed it and I was finally glad that I had a chance to sit down with Chris and learn a little bit more about the process of what they developed there at the corner of Lafayette and North College and that sign on top of the door there is aptly put. It says, Everyone is welcome and so you're welcome. I'm welcome Chris as welcomed everybody is welcome at that facility to take part in what Ozark Natural Foods is all about right here in Northwest Arkansas. I'm your host Randy Wilburn and that's another episode of the Co-Op Podcast from Ozark Natural Foods. We'll see you back here soon with another new episode. Take care.

Thanks for tuning in to the Ozark Natural Foods, the Co-Op Podcast. Whether you are new to the area and looking for a healthy grocery store, or you've been here for ages but didn't know the whole story about Ozark Natural Foods, the Co-Op, this podcast is one of the best places to start. For more information about the Co-Op, please visit our website at onf.coop to learn more. That's onf.coop@ozarknaturalfoods. The Co-Op, we mean it when we say keeping it local since 1971.