Custer's Market refresh

[clairecharming123]

I thought Custer's Market in Old Town could use a little tweaking:

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[SimsFan_1]

Really nice, Claire Charming!👍💗  I love giving makeovers to Maxis houses and lots, too.

[simmingsims55]

That is so cute! Thank you for showing us!

[jonesie]

Delightful!!! Thank you for sharing that!!  I love having fun with original Maxis lots, and fiddling around with the original build.
And, great minds think alike!! A number of years ago, I did a remake of Custer's Market, where it went all "upscale," and sold stuff for highly inflated prices (think: a "Whole Foods" type-thing"), complete with an accompanying story.  
I will dig it out and share it.

[SimsFan_1]

Feb 1, 2023 23:06:05 GMT -5 jonesie said:

Delightful!!! Thank you for sharing that!!  I love having fun with original Maxis lots, and fiddling around with the original build.
And, great minds think alike!! A number of years ago, I did a remake of Custer's Market, where it went all "upscale," and sold stuff for highly inflated prices (think: a "Whole Foods" type-thing"), complete with an accompanying story.  
I will dig it out and share it.

Ooooh, do share!😀 That sounds like an interesting story... the gentrification of Custer's Market!

[jonesie]

(clairecharming:  I apologize for "horning in" on your thread.  I tried to do this in a new, separate thread, and it disappeared!)

Custer's Upscale Market

The residents of Simville are horrified. Their beloved Custer's Market was sold to Whole Foods, which, in turn, was sold to Amazon.

Prior to the sale to Amazon, Whole Foods had embarked on an extensive renovation, and added a second floor, including a coffee house deck. They tried to give the market the appearance of being "down home" and "folksy," yet stocking the market with excessively overpriced items - far beyond the budget of the average Simville resident.

Here's a few examples:
-The coffee house offers a small mocha latte for $15.00, and a cruller for $10.00. If you buy a latte-cruller combo, the price is $24.75 - a savings of a WHOLE twenty-five cents! (Whoop-de-do.)
-An elaborate variety of domestic and imported wines. How about a nice bottle of 2010 Merlot, from Napa Valley, California? A mere $150.00. (But priced in California supermarkets for $12.50. Hmmmmmm...)
-A cord of seasoned wood goes for $200.00. (An average cord elsewhere goes for around $75.00)
-Fresh tomatoes are $9.00/lb., as are carrots, potatoes, turnips, and more. Fresh fruit is double that price.
-A small bouquet of flowers is $75.00. Flower and vegetable seeds are $25.00, or more, per packet.
-Outdoor water features. Let us just say the faux wishing well is priced at $75,000.00, and that does not include the costs of labor to assemble it.
-Hay bales. Advertised as "quaint country decor accessories to enhance your country garden." In reality, unused hay bales can get quite moldy, and also attract mice.
- Chicken coops. Not really for chickens, and sold as "designer farm decor" to gullible patrons - who fork over $900.00 for one.

Simville was hoping that the new market would die on the vine, given a lack of local patronage. Alas, that did not happen. The wealthier residents of Studio Town, Downtown, and affluent out-of-towners who visit Vacation Island, travel over to the market on a regular basis. They are happy to spend their money on items they ignorantly think will make them look trendy and affluent.

In retaliation, Simville government leaders are currently courting WalMart to build a super store in a nearby vacant commercial lot, adjacent to Old Town. Word has it that it's a done deal!
(Revenge is sweet...)

You can see the pictures of the Market renovations here:

photos.app.goo.gl/3Xh0J039UOmVjBzm1

[SimsFan_1]

Beautiful build, Jonesie, even if the story of gentrification isn't so beautiful... hipsters and yuppies ruin everything they touch!😄  Hopefully, the residents of Simville can find peace after they lost their local market...

[jonesie]

I am very glad you enjoyed it!  And yes, this particular build was my way of venting about those pretentious Yuppies!  [Insert evil laugh here] 

[SimsFan_1]

Feb 4, 2023 21:11:41 GMT -5 jonesie said:

I am very glad you enjoyed it!  And yes, this particular build was my way of venting about those pretentious Yuppies!  [Insert evil laugh here] 

Yes!!😈👍  The only thing I might've done differently is make the decor look more like this starter pack:

That seems to be the de facto yuppie store/restaurant look -- vaguely industrial-looking, Edison bulbs, and "Live, Laugh, Love" signs everywhere.  Even fast food joints have started copying this look, despite not even remotely being aimed at the same customer.

[damondamore]

That does look like every trendy "bar" in the city...

[clairecharming123]

LOL, I love it! It totally captures the faux homey feel of the "upscale" market next to my son's school.

[jonesie]

 Thank you so much, claire!  I am happy that you enjoyed it, and I appreciate your graciousness in allowing me to "tag along."  

[feltz]

Cute tweak of Custer's market Claire!  Thanks for sharing that.  And Jonesie I would love to do a wine-tasting at your market, although it would probably cost me $100 per head and palate cleansers would be an additional extra!
Bloody hipsters, I rue the day that became a thing.  I live in hope it will meet an untimely death real soon.    It's the whole bloody trendy barber thing that gets me, my Dad would be turning in his grave!  And don't get my husband started on the ones who "try" to surf on retro-style boards.  Serial pests, the lot of em!  Tee-hee!!! 

[damondamore]

Unfortunately, 'hipsters' have been around longer than they had been called hipsters. There's always been rich people taking thing poor people were doing, paying a premium for them then pricing out the poor people. It's a big, historic problem.