The Vale

DFG was offered the opportunity to design and install the dining and grocery concepts for the commercial half of Weidner’s redevelopment at Wenatchee Avenue and Kittitas Street. The businesses occupy space around a new garden square, centered on the Old Wenatchee Jail, long hidden from view on a service alley off the avenue.

An old historic structure like this is a rare opportunity. What makes this one so fun is precisely what makes it difficult. It’s a dark, dreary jail. Built 120 years ago. Windows are sparse and small. It’s dark. It’s a dungeon.

The Spanish have long known the secret to a dark space. The butcher shops and ultramarinos of Madrid are built to stay cool through the summer by shutting out the sun. But they are bright by insistence. Colors, tiles, even the products on the shelves seem to burst with energy and light.

The Vale Butcher and Grocer draws on those shops, and on our culinary travels through Madrid and the towns around it. It is a Spanish-style butcher and provisions shop, and the retail counterpart to Col, our sister project next door. Meat over the counter. Tins, wine and dry goods on the shelves. A grill, and a few seats for a burger or whatever else is aflame. We set out to make a bright, clean, colorful space. Playful wall stencils and tiling create an upbeat atmosphere.