OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- James “Jim” Edward Mitchell was imaginative, innovative and, most of all, passionate, say those who knew him.
Mitchell, who passed away June 1 at age 76, had worked as a designer for a number of convenience stores and truckstops for more than 30 years. He started Jim Mitchell and Associates, which later became Mitchell Design Group, and did work all over the United States and in 39 countries.
“Jim was a master of detail, and he had a unique skill at lighting and colors,” said Bill Douglass, chairman of the board of Douglass Distributing Co., Sherman, Texas. He said Jim thought stores needed to be larger, open with big windows, easy to shop, carpeted for sound and dust control, and containing lots of natural light.
“He called his store designs ‘feel-good stores,’ and they were,” Douglass said.
And although he retired around 2006 and had glaucoma, Mitchell never stopped doing what he loved. “He couldn’t get the drawing out of his blood,” said his daughter, Michele Pearce. “That was him; that was his whole life.”
In the past three years, Mitchell did two designs for Douglass Distributing, but the most impressive design he did for the company over the years never came to fruition due to a zoning change after purchase that rendered the property useless.
“It was a butterfly-themed restaurant design, utilizing real, large Costa Rican butterflies in the dining room,” Douglass said. “The whole thing was so spectacular. Everyone was sad when we could not execute this beautiful plan.”
But Mitchell was perhaps best known for his “Home Plate” design (see image below) that was developed in the 1990s and used by multiple convenience-store chains. Not only did it resemble a baseball diamond, but it also had an “open-air market” feel with a branded food department, food-court seating, drive-thru window and circular checkout.
“It was really groundbreaking for our industry,” said Lou Sheetz, former executive vice president and active board member for Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz. “Jim was very good at product placement, understanding the behavior of the customer as they navigated a convenience store. … He understood customers—older customers, females, kids—he just really made a point to understand how they think and how they shop.”
And he really understood Bubba. “Bubba is sort of a southern thing and he was a southern boy. I think he grew up with Bubba, which is why he knew him so well,” Sheetz said.
Mitchell also worked with Buc-ee’s owners Don Wasek and Arch Aplin. He created the Lake Jackson, Texas-based chain’s beaver logo during a chance encounter 34 years ago.
“Aplin and I were eating at a very busy restaurant in the Dallas area. We were sitting at a table for four and because there [were] just two of us, a nice gentleman walked over and asked if he could join us. We said sure. [Jim] asked what we did for a living, and we told him. He picked up a napkin and drew our logo, and we have been using it ever since,” Wasek said.
Mitchell also worked with ExxonMobil, Texaco, Sinclair Oil, CITGO and Nice N Easy, to name a few.
“The convenience industry history has had some really notable pioneers that indeed had a major imprint on the industry evolution and success,” said Paul Reuter, CSP founder and chairman of Midwest Retail Group. “Mitchell was for me the Daniel Boone in our industry: fearless, full of overflowing enthusiasm and incredibly passionate about his work and the success it would produce for others.”
Funeral services for Mitchell were held June 4. 
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