Sunnyside Farms Market

The burgeoning Escalante community surrounding the new Sunnyside Farms Market on the south side of Durango, Colorado, is densely populated with apartments, condos, and townhomes set among big box stores. Yet prior to Sunnyside Farms Market, the neighborhood had no nearby high-quality food market or restaurant. So when Sunnyside opened its doors as the anchor of the new Purple Cliffs development in December 2019, its neighbors embraced it as their new community hub. The market hustled and bustled with business from the start.

Architect
RMBA

Location
Durango CO

Category
Commercial

Square Footage
5,370

This family-run business has come full circle in its nearly 20 years in business in Durango. Opened in 2002 by Holly Zink, a fifth-generation La Plata County rancher and entrepreneur on both sides of her family, the original market specialized in locally-sourced, hormone-free, high-quality meats, deli items, and specialty groceries. In 2008, Zink decided to focus exclusively on meat, fish, and poultry as part of the Nature’s Oasis Natural Grocery Store. In time, she grew restless for autonomy and a bigger vision. Zink envisioned an independent market incorporating a butcher shop, expanded deli, and specialty grocer like her original concept, but with an added espresso bar, liquor store, fresh produce, baked goods, and a casual bistro. 

Working with a design team that included a food consultant, architects, and engineers, Sunnyside Farms Market took on a modern farm-style aesthetic. Collaborating closely with the owner, architect, and design specialists, ME&E designed all aspects of the market as an integrated system — from front-of-the-house specialty lighting to back-of-house food prep plumbing to the commercial kitchen ventilation. Now, the design team regularly run into each other at the bistro deli in the Sunnyside Market, our new community hub.