Finally going to open: delayed for what seemed like a long time. Just slightly beyond walking distance, but well within bike range (ten minutes or so) - I assume we'll visit frequently. Traffic going south of the Loop is much friendlier than traffic going north up Halsted or wherever.
A Whole new ballgame :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Business:
The Whole Foods store opening Aug. 8 in the South Loop shows off the retailer's theatrical food flair, complete with a waterfall, a smokehouse for meats, and railyard motifs that harken to the neighborhood's industrial past.
Shoppers will be able to buy wine by the glass to sip while they browse the aisles, smell the aroma from an in-store coffee-bean roaster, and use a dressing room to try on Whole Foods' largest array of organically grown clothes, including a “Whole Baby” section.
“The decor will feature train yards, the Chicago skyline and historic photos of Maxwell Street,” said Laura Henke, the South Loop store team leader, a Chicago native and a 14-year veteran at Whole Foods. .. “Our South Loop store is an excellent example of the rising trend of people looking to simplify” and find healthy foods in their community, said Patrick Bradley, Whole Foods' Midwest Regional president.The store, with driving entrances from Roosevelt and Canal and a mall entrance, will have 200 dedicated parking spaces and 140 bike racks, plus access to the mall parking lot with 1,100 spaces. The Canal Street entrance will be closed Sundays during August for the Maxwell Street market, which is being moved.
...Whole Foods also will open new stores at the Center on Halsted, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community center at Halsted and Waveland Avenues, on July 25; in suburban Northbrook on Aug. 29, and next year, a relocated flagship store just south of North Avenue near the intersection of Sheffield and Kingsbury.
On the other side of the street:
an empty space, probably the last undeveloped location in downtown Chicago, soon to be Something (and not very likely to be a park).
Technorati Tags: South_Loop, Whole_Foods
I dislike Whole Foods with a passion. They take advantage of suckers like you and me who are into organic food and overcharge for everything. Mark my words: one day you'll leave the store with a glass of wine and no pants.
Pants are over-rated anyway. I am a blogger after all (we're supposedly always posting in our pajamas)
I don't know about grocery stores in LA (Vons, Stater Bros, etc.), but here there aren't many options, especially in the winter when the farmers markets aren't open.