Cooper Carry: Retail Reimagined

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© 2025 Cooper Carry

COOPER CARRY

Since 1960, Cooper Carry has been dedicated to designing spaces that connect people to place. Inspired by our founder, Jerry Cooper, we approach every project with curiosity—asking the right questions to uncover the best solutions for our clients and the communities they serve. Our leadership team consists of both advocates and experts, empowered by decades of experience to shape environments that prioritize placemaking, civic space, and the well-being of communities, tenants, residents, and visitors.

COOPER CARRY’S MIXED-USE ECOSYSTEM

Ecosystems bring many diverse contributors together to create something far beyond the capacity of one. They create and capture new and greater value. At Cooper Carry, we approach our work as a collaborative ecosystem. We have multiple studios and services that mix and match daily to provide each project the depth of expertise it needs to meet business objectives. Our breadth of experience goes far beyond broad building types. We offer a deeper level of expertise, engaging in more possibilities and offering more creative solutions. The mixed-use ecosystem allows us to help our clients create the platform on which tenants and target audiences can flourish.

Studio
The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry

BETHESDA ROW

FALLS CHURCH, VA

Nearly 30 years after Cooper Carry completed Bethesda Row, we were invited to revitalize the beloved mixed-use destination. The goal: to reenergize public spaces and enhance the everyday experience for visitors, residents, retailers, and restaurants. Improved seating, layered landscaping, and upgraded lighting throughout the site transform the district into a more vibrant, pedestrian-focused environment.

SERVICES

ARCHITECTURE

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITH LAND DESIGN

CLIENT

FEDERAL REALTY INVESTMENT TRUST BEFORE

Places that encourage people to connect

BEFORE

The custom trellis adds shade, scale, and adds dappled shade, scale, and pattern—creating comfortable gathering spots that encourage people to linger and engage with tenants.

Entrances have been modernized with clean lines, durable materials, and soft, integrated lighting—creating a more refined and welcoming transition from street to building.

Building entrances that are well lit and welcoming
Landscaping ties together all the elements that makes this a welcoming environment

BIRCH & BROAD

FALLS CHURCH, VA

Formerly known as Falls Plaza, Birch & Broad has been reimagined into a vibrant, walkable destination rooted in thoughtful design. Cooper Carry led the transformation across architecture, branding, and experiential graphic design, adding and enhancing public space, renovating storefronts, and creating a cohesive identity that welcomes the Falls Church community to gather, shop, and dine.

SERVICES

ARCHITECTURE

BRANDING

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT

FEDERAL REALTY INVESTMENT TRUST

The Reposition and Rebrand of this 1960s Shopping Center increased traffic and sales by 20%

We’re really, really happy with the way it turned out. We think the investment that we made in public spaces and gathering spaces is exactly where retail’s going.

This refreshed alley connects more than just buildings—it connects people, with whimsical murals, colorful details, and plenty of seating that encourages visitors to pause, relax, and enjoy the space.

BEFORE

Retail energy flows into the public realm

THE DESIGN DISTRICT

CHARLOTTE, NC

Cooper Carry reimagined Charlotte’s Design District—an underutilized enclave of masonry, timber, and steel buildings—into a vibrant, walkable destination anchored by its industrial roots and energized by new life. The district has been transformed into a magnetic mixed-use neighborhood at the heart of South End, where public art, skyline views, and modern retail converge.

SERVICES

ARCHITECTURE

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITH LAND DESIGN

CLIENT ASANA PARTNERS

The district’s design blends architectural sensitivity with fresh energy—reinforced through playful signage, murals, and moments of graphic expression that reinterpret its industrial heritage with a modern voice.

New signage and graphic moments—crafted from blackened steel and exposed hardware— reinterpret the site’s heritage with clarity and edge. Murals and visual cues punctuate the district, establishing a bold identity that resonates with today’s urban explorers.

MARKET STREET

WOODLANDS, TX

Cooper Carry, in collaboration with LandDesign, revitalized Market Street at The Woodlands, an established retail town center north of Houston. The project focused on preserving the community’s unique character while introducing modern enhancements to enrich the visitor experience.

SERVICES

ARCHITECTURE ENHANCEMENTS

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT

MILLER CAPITAL ADVISORY, INC.

Enhancing community charm through thoughtful design

Enhancements at project entries increased visibility, while upgraded vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding improved navigation.

BEFORE

BEFORE

RIO

GATHERSBURG, MD

Rio is a 760,000 SF open-air retail and entertainment center. Originally developed in the early 1990s, the property has long been a suburban mainstay, offering waterfront dining, shopping, and familyfriendly attractions. To align with its evolving brand and appeal to a new generation of visitors, Cooper Carry designed a new vibrant environmental graphics and wayfinding program that reintroduced Rio with bold visual energy.

SERVICES

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT THE PETERSON COMPANIES

Vibrant signage reintroduces Rio with bold visual energy

The refreshed signage system enhances navigation, reinforces Rio’s identity, and brings renewed visual energy to the property, supporting its position as a premier shopping and dining destination in Montgomery County.

A suburban shopping center reimagined for community life

VILLAGE AT NEWTOWN

NEWTOWN, PA

Cooper Carry helped transform the Village at Newtown from a traditional suburban retail center into a walkable community destination rooted in local character. Anchored by a neighborhood grocery and refreshed with a new identity, the center was redesigned to reflect the rural Pennsylvania vernacular while meeting the modern needs of residents.

SERVICES

BRANDING

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT BRIXMOR

BEFORE

Through a combination of branding, environmental graphics, and architectural interventions, the design team brought cohesion and personality to the center,

Honoring the past while elevating the experience

DADELAND MALL

MIAMI, FL

Cooper Carry assisted Simon Property Group with an architectural expansion and new brand integration, providing new modern identity and wayfinding signage for this premiere luxury retail destination.

SERVICES

ARCHITECTURE

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT SIMON PROPERTY GROUP

BEFORE

BEFORE

LENOX SQUARE

ATLANTA, GA

Cooper Carry led the comprehensive rebranding of interior and exterior signage for Lenox Square, enhancing wayfinding across entrances, parking decks, and interior corridors. Our team developed a consistent and elegant visual language that integrates seamlessly with the existing architecture—elevating the user experience and reinforcing the mall’s brand identity.

SERVICES

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT

SIMON PROPERTY GROUP

BEFORE

BEFORE

ST. JOHNS TOWN CENTER

JACKSONVILLE, FL

For over thirty years, St. Johns Town Center has been the retail epicenter in Jacksonville, Florida, providing numerous dining and shopping options set within a vibrant outdoor main street setting. Cooper Carry assisted Simon in reimagining the lifestyle center’s original main identity monument sign items at all key entries. The redesign is modernized reflecting the properties evolution over the years, providing greater visibility and interest.

SERVICES

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

CLIENT

SIMON PROPERTY GROUP

Cooper Carry provides services

BEYOND ARCHITECTURE

to deliver holistic projects

From project visioning and programming through complete design services, we are ready to partner with you to position and reposition mixed-use and retail projects. We work to align real estate with the local market, the target consumer, and potential tenants. Some of these services include:

BRAND DEVELOPMENT & DESIGN

EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.

At Cooper Carry, we also offer these services:

• Adaptive Re-Use + Conversions

• Architecture

• Historic Rehabilitation

• Programming + Predesign

• Streetscape Design

• Sustainability Services

• Urban Design + Planning

• Visioning

WE HAVE IDEAS TO SHARE

BOULDER | DENVER

1360 Walnut Street Suite 102 Boulder, CO 80302

720.565.0505 CHARLOTTE

704.348.7000

212.691.0271

WASHINGTON, DC

625 North Washington Street Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22314

703.519.6152

© 2025 Cooper Carry

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