The Riverside Red X liquor and retail store has been a staple in the Riverside, MO community for more than 75 years. Since 1948, the store has been family-owned and operated by three different generations all dedicated to providing the best service to customers. After rebuilding the store four separate times after three floods and a fire destroyed the previous stores, the owners decided it was time to build a new, ground up store to better serve the community. BRR was thrilled to partner with the owners and bring their vision to life.
New Era of Red X
Since the current owners of Red X had not been through a project of this scale before, BRR was able to guide them through the process with our knowledge and experience working on grocery projects. “We’ve never gone through something like this,” said Zeke Young, Red X co-owner. “When my dad built the old store, it was kind of piece by piece. Then we got involved with BRR and it’s kind of amazing to watch how it’s all come together.” BRR’s design team worked with the owners from the very beginning to determine the specific programmatic requirements needed as well as the pain points within the current store that could be corrected.
This new store is much smaller than the original building, so it was essential to utilize every square foot. For instance, the shelves in the original building were only four feet tall whereas the new store contains the more typical 72-inch shelving which allows them to stock more product and maximize the grocery space. Additionally, the previous store had two entry/exit points on opposite sides of the building, which required employees to be stationed at both locations. In the new store, the areas that require the most employee attention, such as the lottery, customer service, tobacco counter and checkout stands, are all housed in the same area. The previous building did not have a loading dock for truck deliveries and every product was unloaded by hand. The new building has an efficient dock and receiving area to streamline all product delivery. These improvements align with the client’s goal to improve efficiencies for team members and save time.
Rooted in Riverside
The new store is located just 250 yards from the original location in Riverside. This site backs up against the levee near the Missouri River and a portion of the new store sits within the levee critical zone which required coordination and approval from the civil engineer, Riverside’s Levee District and the Army Corps of Engineers to confirm the blanket was penetrated appropriately.
Even though this location created a few challenges, it was extremely important to the owners to remain in this area due to their history in the community. “The main thing I’m excited about is that I feel we’re finally providing a full-service grocery store for this community,” Young stated. “We have such an increase in frozen foods and other everyday items that we just couldn’t provide in the old store.”
The Store to Explore
One of the unique components of Red X is the wide variety of antiques they have on display throughout the store. It’s not very often in grocery design that BRR designs a fixture plan for a bronze statue of Bacchus or an exact replica of the Liberty Bell. BRR collaborated with the owners to ensure their collection was showcased properly with the focal point being a 1948 antique fire truck centered in the front entrance. “We want it to be an experience for the customers from the time they step into that front doorway or drive onto the lot,” explains Jen Boyd, Red X co-owner.
Installing a 1940’s antique fire truck presented a unique design and scheduling challenge because it needed to be brought into the store before the storefronts were installed. As a result, the fire truck was one of the first antiques to be shined up and ready to roll into the store. To accommodate such a heavy antique, the design team coordinated a thickened slab in the area with details to ensure the truck was sufficiently supported.
Through close collaboration with the owners, engineers, contractors and the city of Riverside, the new Red X store officially grand opened in February 2023 to a crowd of eager customers. BRR is honored to have been involved in this project and to see the family’s vision for an updated store come to life. “I think the thing that makes me most excited is just what it brings to the community and what it brings to our employees,” Boyd shared her thoughts on the grand opening.
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