Walls off Washington is a small bodega that functions as a convenience store, merchandise sales area, and centralized ticket sales center for all the Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s (KAF) venues. Located in a neighborhood with limited access to similar stores, the bodega is a vital community resource, providing convenience to residents who might otherwise not be able to access similar retail options.

This project explores the aesthetics of accumulation, a defining characteristic of compact bodegas where display space is maximized by filling every inch with a diverse and densely packed array of products. The overwhelming presence of the accumulated items is amplified by the single, towering shelf that holds them and spans the entire width and height of the space. The design draws inspiration from Andreas Gursky’s 99 Cent (1999), a photograph featuring an equally emblematic close-cousin of the bodega, the 99 Cent store. At once, the project draws on the character of Louise Nevelson’s assemblage sculpture in the unification and abstraction achieved by painting the assortment of consumer objects and the shelf a single color.

The 12-foot-tall shelving and 12-foot-long, glass-top island standing in front of it provide space for merchandise. However, the shelving does more than merely display items for sale. It incorporates recycled bottles and cans, painted red to blend seamlessly with the shelf, creating a powerful visual impact and acting as an art installation. The point-of-sale counter is integrated as a window within the shelving, heightening the interaction with the design and activating the shelf as a dynamic element in the space.

This shelf functions as both a practical display and a piece of art that speaks to the work of the graffiti artists who are provided a wall to exhibit their work at the bodega and whose large murals are featured in St. Louis’s Grand Center just outside the bodega in the KAF’s Walls off Washington street walk. Recycling these materials undermines consumerism in favor of remixing and making-new, affording a second life and new-found beauty to these mundane, everyday objects while also aligning with the work of street artists and the broader environmental goals of the organization.

Client: Kranzberg Arts Foundation
Location: St. Louis, MO
Size: 900 sq.ft (84 m2)
Design: 2024
Construction: 2024
Design: AVV A
Contractor: Rob’s Renovations
Photography: Documodern