The long-awaited downtown Whole Foods opened today, all 44,500 square feet of natural-market retail resplendence.
The new store anchors the mixed-use building 1200 Broadway, which stands (not surprisingly) at 12th Avenue North and Broadway. (It's next to the empty lot that used to be The Tennessean.) On opening morning, everything looked bright and shiny, and the number of employees offering help and samples almost matched the number of customers.
The hot and salad bars looked fairly mouthwatering, and the store emphasizes new options for take-home meals, like a rotisserie chicken paired with two sides in a single box.
Though Whole Foods is a massive national chain, it spotlights some local Nashville products, like cookies from The Shortbread Shop. The produce department was offering samples of one “only in Nashville” delicacy: hot chicken guacamole.
If you work or live downtown or in the Gulch, the store is a handy place to eat a meal or a snack, there’s seating near the sunny front windows.
Here are some of the “special features” the store touts:
- Fresh produce department offering varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables, including options from local growers and a range of items with Whole Foods Market’s Whole Trade Guarantee, which supports suppliers that are committed to ethical trade, working conditions and the environment.
- Full-service butcher offering made in-house sausages, ready-to-cook options and selections from local suppliers.
- Seafood department offering fresh and frozen seafood, with all offerings either sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed.
- Expansive selection of beers and wines, with about 30 beers from local producers.
- Prepared foods section with a wide selection of hot and cold food bars, including salad, soups, pizza, sushi and offerings from Korean, Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisines.
- Bulk section offering more than 110 items including nuts, seeds, granola, grains, dried fruit and candy.
- Beauty and body care section featuring a variety of products from eight local suppliers.
- Broad Brews, a full-service coffee bar offering coffee, espresso, nitro cold brew and teas, as well as beer, canned wine and pastries.
In addtion, the store’s specialty food section includes “a selection of cheeses overseen by an in-store American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional who can offer expertise and recommendations for any request or occasion,” the company says. Approximately 120 full- and part-time workers are employed at the store, which is owned by Amazon and offers food deals for Amazon Prime members.
The new Whole Foods Market, located at 1202 Broadway, is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The store has a parking garage, and you get one hour free parking with purchase. (Around lunchtime on opening day, the garage was pretty packed, but traffic may settle down once the store has been open longer.)
