Albuquerque's Green Jeans Farmery Stacks a Novel Shopping Experience
In 2015, an enterprising Albuquerque, N.M., businessman created a restaurant and shopping area with a twist—all of the 11 business units within this 6,100-square-foot center spanning 1.49 acres were constructed entirely from shipping containers.
Green Jeans Farmery, located at 3600 Cutler Avenue, NE, proved such a hit that the developer has broken ground on another container-based development, Tin Can Alley, in a different part of the city. Six of the 11 tenants from the first center have signed as tenants, and the new complex is scheduled to open in December 2019.
For startups and small businesses, containers offer affordability and flexibility. They're strong and secure, yet modular and easy to stack in a way that accommodates individual needs. For consumers, the container shopping and entertainment area offers novelty and the cachet of a cool, industrial vibe.
"With so many breweries and taprooms these days, anything you can do to make yourself look different is a plus," said Brian Lock, president of Santa Fe Brewing Company, whose taproom at Green Jeans outsells each of his other three locations. He will be opening another, larger taproom at Tin Can Alley.
To design Green Jeans, developer Roy Solomon started working with local architectural firm McClain + Yu, but made so many design changes that the architect didn't finish the project. Solomon then worked with each tenant, including Boutique 505, Chumly's, Amore Pizza, Rockin' Taco, Santa Fe Brewing, and Nitro Fog Creamery, hiring subcontractors to cut metal walls and combine the 40"x 8"x 9.6" containers laterally or stack them atop each other for more space.
The container space centers are about helping local businesses thrive in a competitive environment. "It gives them the ability to compete against chains that make the restaurant and food business so treacherous for small owners," says Solomon, who spent almost 40 years as a restaurateur himself.
Because the leased spaces are small, rents are affordable and local restaurants and shops create a synergy. "They're stronger as a group," Solomon said. "It makes for a great local vibe. The unique environment is part of what makes it successful," says Solomon.
Albuquerque isn't the only city experimenting with container spaces. Centers in Cleveland, Denver, and Tauranga, New Zealand are also thriving.
A flourishing marketplace. Green Jeans is full nearly all the time, explains Solomon. It draws millennials who unwind with a craft beer at Santa Fe Brewing Company, tourists who want to shop for handmade jewelry and t-shirts, and families who line up at the homemade ice cream shop.
Intricate design. Building a container center is more complex than it may appear. "It's not the easy road some people think it is. You don't just throw the containers on the ground and cut in a few doors and windows," explains developer Roy Solomon.
Work in progress. Green Jeans units feature custom interiors with containers joined laterally and vertically. Steel beams reinforce the structure.
Strategic structuring. Each container is set on a concrete foundation. The center includes common areas, restrooms, staircases to link the upper and lower levels, plumbing, lighting, and landscaping—just like a conventional development. Here, the foreground shows foundations for other containers. The small cylinder to the left is a chase for water and gas lines for a fire pit.
Larger-than-life welcome. The Green Jeans sign was cut out of a container. At night, two LED lights inside the container shine through, beckoning customers to enter the complex.
Color, community, connection. Pedestrians enjoy exploring the shops at Green Jeans.
Goodwill gear. This unique art sculpture at Green Jeans was created from donated bicycles, and raised money to benefit the charity Ghost Bikes.
Stunning appeal. Set to open in December 2019, Tin Can Alley, the 11,000 square-foot shipping container shopping and entertainment complex at 6110 Alameda Boulevard NE, will sit on two acres with views of the Sandia Mountains in the background. Six tenants are finalized with space for five more. To the right are a climbing gym and a restaurant the developer is building on adjacent parcels. Visitors can park at any of the sites and wander from one to another.
