It seems the most interesting buildings on layouts are the ones copied from reality.
As opposed to ones that are made up in someone's head: either too generic or too cute.
I've got a four-building module I've been building forever. I'm copying the real ones. They're so distinctive, even the concrete block post office building (there's a statue of a former mayor in the parking lot--a DOG!)(yes, really).
Ed
The food gets good reviews:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/country-natural-food-topanga
Well the Tichy folks would be happy -- how many window styles and sizes does that thing have?
One reason a building like that would be unlikely on my layout is that the way it sprawls it would take up an inordinate amount of real estate. But if I did have a structure labled "Country Natural Foods" on my layout all the vehicles in the parking lot would be VW microbuses with hippie flowers on them ..... Which reminds me of the layout I saw that had a donut shop where every car in the parking lot was a police car
Dave Nelson
I was watching the Bruce Willis movie Hostage, great movie by the way, and saw a building that'd make quite a model.
It's an actual building in California.
If I were to build the structure I would model it on a hillside like it is, at the right corner I'd put a pump island with a room over it, and maybe a motel on the back side lacking the overall structure a L shape and a Higgedly Piggedly Back tenement look.
I guess its be a Diner, General Store, Gas Station, Rooming House.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!