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Charter Oak Emporium

Charter Oak Emporium

Background

Charter Oak Emporium, located at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, is a market, gift and souvenir shop named after the famous Charter Oak Tree, an enormous white oak tree that stood for 500 years on Wyllys Hill in Hartford. Completed in November 2023, the store blends lighting design and architecture to create an inviting and regionally inspired shopping experience. Angela Hill, Studio Director at JGA, the design firm tasked with the branded and magical store environment, shared insights with Alcon Lighting into the design and lighting process involved with the project.

What type of projects motivate you?

“We love creating retail experiences and [immersive] environments—our particular niche,” said Hill. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, JGA takes pride in designing spaces that feel localized and [regionally] authentic. It’s how JGA achieved recognition as an innovator of award-winning retail design and brand strategies for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Hershey’s, Sleep Number, Sundance, Blue Nile, H&M and Whole Foods Market.

Hill continues, “Creating environments that connect with the local passengers creates a sense of ease and familiarity within a fast-paced, hectic environment, such as an airport.”

“Airport retail design is always striving for eye-catching, technology-oriented spaces that are on display for people from all over the world to see—allowing them to capture the city’s unique native characteristics.”

What was the lighting goal for this project, and how did you seek to achieve it?

“Lighting is always important in airport retail stores,” Hill emphasized. “Typically, airport concourses are monotonous and dark. The client strived for high lumen output at storefront entries and on perimeter products.”

The design of the Charter Oak Emporium drew inspiration from nature. Hill described the concept: “The design was meant to feel like a tree with tree-like millwork fixtures that branch upwards to a green expansive ceiling and leafy texture/transparent perforated panel. We designed a wood trellis system to have the feeling of branches with spots of ambient ‘sunlight’ poking through.”

What was the lighting challenge?

Height constraints presented a significant challenge in this project. Hill explained, “Typically, we have height constraints for ceiling features that make it challenging to create something exciting.” For Charter Oak Emporium, the team worked with wood ceiling slats in a small pushed-up section of the ceiling.

To create ambient light within the slats, Hill said they sought “creative ways to get ambient light within these slats that were interesting, but not typical track lighting, and had enough lumens/brightness to enhance the space.” Instead of traditional recessed linear fixtures, the team suspended large linear fixtures between the slats to achieve the desired effect.

Which Alcon Lighting product(s) did you use, and did the lights help you achieve the desired outcome?

The design team selected the Alcon Lighting Slim Linear Pendant Mount Fixture in white. “This was 56 inches in length, so we used two side-by-side pieces,” Hill shared. She also highlighted the logistical advantage: “The other challenge in airports is delivering large products. We were able to get a continuous look and feel.”

The fixtures provided the ideal combination of functionality and aesthetics, allowing the team to execute their vision of a bright, nature-inspired space.

Conclusion

Through thoughtful design and innovative lighting solutions, JGA, Inc. transformed the Charter Oak Emporium into a retail space that captures the essence of its regional surroundings while meeting the functional demands of an airport setting. By using Alcon Lighting’s slim linear pendant mount fixtures, the design achieved its goals of brightness, ambient effects and seamless integration, creating an inviting and memorable shopping experience for travelers.