Commercial Architecture
Blue Top Liquor
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Blue Top Liquor is a 7,500-square-foot retail building at the prominent intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Sang Avenue in Fayetteville. Its sweeping blue roof reinterprets the recognizable roof of the longtime Town and Country liquor store, turning a familiar local nickname into a modern architectural identity.
Project origin
A familiar blue roof became the foundation for a new identity.
The client owned the former Town and Country liquor store that had operated on the site for many years. Its recognizable blue roof led customers to refer to it affectionately as the Blue Top liquor store. When the owner chose to expand and modernize the business, that familiar local name became the starting point for the new building.
Client goal
A modern retail facility designed to make more of its location.
The project created an expanded, state-of-the-art home for Blue Top Liquor while incorporating additional lease space for a commercial kitchen. Bringing both uses into one 7,500-square-foot building allowed the owner to take fuller advantage of a highly visible commercial site on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Site + identity
Architecture that addresses the intersection—and carries the name.
The corner site sits where Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bends past South Sang Avenue, so the building was designed to address both streets. A sweeping blue roof structure follows the boulevard's curve and extends over the building as a contemporary reinterpretation of the original blue top. Because Fayetteville's sign regulations limit conventional signage, the roof itself reinforces the business's identity without relying on a larger sign.
Material expression
A crisp palette gives the familiar idea a modern language.
Stainless-steel aluminum composite panels and broad expanses of storefront glass give the building a clean, contemporary character. Against those restrained materials, the vivid roof becomes both the defining architectural element and a highly visible marker along the corridor.
Outcome
A recognizable commercial landmark built for lasting use.
Blue Top Liquor has remained in continuous operation since the building was completed in 2016. The project demonstrates how commercial architecture and business identity can work together—preserving a place customers already knew while giving it a flexible, modern setting for its next chapter.
Architectural services
- Programming
- Feasibility
- Site planning
- Architecture
- Interiors
- Consultant coordination
- Bidding
- Construction administration
Project team
- Greg Anderson · MEP engineering
- Ron Hamme · Structural engineering
- Tracy VanWoudenberg · Photography
