WOODBURY, N.Y. -- Front and center in the new Sutton Place Gourmet here is the produce section and its most visible attraction is a 1950s-era tractor.
But if the aged machine symbolizes SPG's dedication to old-fashioned service and farm-stand quality produce, its mobility suggests a more revolutionary feature: the entire section can be reconfigured at will.
"We wanted a store that would change with the seasons, that wouldn't be constrained by leasehold," said SPG President Tom Johnston. "Everything in the middle of the store can be moved so you can literally change the whole makeup of the store to celebrate the seasons and holidays properly."
Produce coolers, carts and display cases are all either on wheels or light enough to be fully portable.
While $9.99 per pound litchi nuts and $4.99 kiwano melons might seem exotic even for SPG, consider them loss leaders. "We have things like this so that people know that, if they can get it anywhere, they can get it here," said Betsy Garside, director of relationship marketing.
SPG sources much of its produce locally from up to 70 farms located on eastern Long Island, employing a produce buyer who works primarily with area restaurants.
The flexible design will allow managers to accommodate different marketing plans for pumpkins, as well as strawberries.
What dramatizes the produce section, though, is the state-of-the-art lighting and tent arrangement. Set along an octagonal beam suspended beneath a circus-type tent, halogen lights hit pineapples and yellow melons with an appetizing warmth, while the scarlet tomatoes shone even brighter under a separate spot.
The seafood section is highlighted with hues of aquamarine, blue and purple, while the juice section basks in yellow and oranges. Using color psychology when lighting the various sections takes care, said Mark Ksiazewski, SPG director of design. "I wouldn't put green in the meat section, for instance," he said.
Each time the produce section is reconfigured, the lights can also be adjusted, to highlight expensive gourmet items, feature holiday promotions or promote seasonal produce.
"We wanted an environment that was festive and literally entertaining. And we really have delivered one," said Johnston.
"Lights and decorations certainly could change every month. Anymore than that, and my managers would kill me."
