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Behold, the beauty of commerce waiting to happen. Click the picture for a slideshow of what you'll find at the new Whole Foods.: Joanne Witt photos
A neighborhood grocery store tells a story about the local culture. A sneak peek at the new Whole Foods Market Montrose provides a picture of the eclectic neighborhoods that this store will be servicing.
Artwork by local artist Pen Morrison.
The minute I walked into the unfinished store, I loved the feel of the place with all the reclaimed wood that has been incorporated into the interior design and the variety of places one can sit down, enjoy a meal or drink, socialize or just surf the 'net.
Some quick facts: the building is an eco-friendly design covering 45,000 square feet in a warehouse type space. It's located at 701 Waugh at the corner of Dallas. And it will open to the public Wednesday, June 22.
It is just beautiful inside, with lots of light and there are rainbow colored stained glass windows by the entrance (a nod to the GBLT community). Reclaimed wood from Waco is incorporated in a tasteful manner in various places throughout the store. There is art from local artists, as well a bike repair area and charging station for electric vehicles. Outside the entrance, a cistern will collect rainwater to use for irrigating the landscaping and there's also rooftop water collection system that will be used for the internal cooling systems.
A growler for beer on the go.
As to the food, after all it is a grocery store, Whole Food’s Allegro coffee bar will be roasting on site and will feature top shelf coffee from small producers. There are will be plenty of prepared foods such as salads, soups, antipasto and house smoked barbecue. There also will be a Bayou Bar featuring 12 varieties of wine and beer on tap and you can even purchase a growler and take home beer by the gallon and half gallon. Did I mention they will stock more than 200 varieties of cheeses, as well?
Whole Foods is still putting on the finishing touches, but I am all fired up ... just like the store's Southern Pride smoker that will be used to cook barbeque on-site ... and eager to see the store fully stocked.
Click here to see more photos of the new Whole Foods.
Follow Joanne Witt on Twitter @FoodPrincess.
Just thought I'd point out that this Whole Foods is hardly in Montrose. If anything, it's in the River Oaks area, and it's almost in the Heights.
It is know where near the Heights and a lot closer to Montrose then river oaks. So give Montrose credit for having a nice grocery store in there area.
It is no where near River Oaks compared to Montrose. I consider this area Montrose. Wow, someone is bitter.
You are so wrong about your geography it is funny. Here's a quick lesson: ONCE AND FOR ALL, RIVER OAKS ENDS AT SHEPHERD. THAT'S WHY THERE ARE THOSE NICE STONE COLUMNS AT THE WEST SIDE ENTRANCES OF SOME OF THE STREETS, INCLUDING WEST GRAY. Just because 77019 goes as east as Dunlavy, does not mean that it is River Oaks, regardless of how much the residents of that part of Greater Montrose want to think it is. So once again the Eastern part of 77019, east of Shepherd is NOT RIVER OAKS. The only reason the shopping centers on West Gray use the term River Oaks is because they want to make you feel like you are shopping in a high rent district. Also, here is a quick way to understand it. If your neighborhood or neighborhood association falls within the boundaries of the Neartown Association, you live in Montrose, love it or leave it. And as far as the Heights question, here's another tip - Houston Heights ends at 1-10. Anything south of that is also Neartown, also known as Greater Montrose.
Anyone who thinks Montrose is confined to the areas adjacent to Montrose and Westheimer does not have a wide or accurate enough lens on their camera. Deal with it.
Think what you want about Whole Foods, but this company knows how to do it right. Quality products, solid business model, and excellent company culture all make for a winning combination. I have been a WF customer for several years now. While there are certain products that I will never buy from them (ex.$70 turkeys) there is plenty that I do. With the introduction of their 365 store brand their prices are more competitive than ever. Good to see such a good company doing so well.
WF employees, I hope you will organize a union, because the owners of WF are evil and only care about profits. This greenwashing is mainly propaganda/advertising. COSTCO is very progressive to employees. I only shop for things at WF that I cant get at COSTCO or HEB.
wrong
Former team member here...
WF regularly talks about how when you're good to your community, your suppliers and your people profits come naturally. That is about as focussed on them as they get.
I've had 1-on-1 conversations with John Mackey, and he's anything but evil. He's a kind man with a big heart who seems to genuinely care about those around him. When PETA protested at the stores about the treatment of farmed animals, Mackey met with them and, as a result of their meeting, started the Animal Compassion Foundation to come up with more humane farming practices. He became vegan, save for the eggs he eats from chickens he raises himself.
I don't know of any unionized company that will pay to send employees to two-week seminars to help them learn to eat more healthy and get in better shape. In fact, if WF did go union, programs like this would have to end, because they likely wouldn't be compatible with oppressively strict union policies.
WF team members aren't interested in going union, because it would result in their benefits and the community and culture they all share being degraded.
I agree with you Chuck. I would never shop there on a college budget but through the years I have been shopping there more and more and now I don't shop anywhere else. There are items that I wouldn't buy also but I also agree on the affordability and quality of the 365 brands. Try buying the exact same organic product at HEB and you will see HEB actually costs more because they consider it a premium product. I think you will see more and more WF stores in the future.
WF employees, I hope you will organize a union, because the owners of WF are evil and only care about profits. This greenwashing is mainly propaganda/advertising. COSTCO is very progressive to employees. I only shop for things at WF that I cant get at COSTCO or HEB.
Profits are what insure that the WF employees get paid.
Really? So now there will be three of the "premium" supermarkets in about a five mile radius. Can we please get a Central Market or Whole Foods in the Clear Lake area??? I don't understand why they keep building them all in the same area.
Gotta go with you on this one. One down south and one up north would be great. I have to have a gluten free diet and this place is a gold mine. Sure hate the drive from Kingwood though.
Me: Does Whole foods have coca-cola ?
Tatooed, pierced, purple haired, black finger nailed Wonder: No
Me: I wonder why not ?
Tatooed, pierced, purple haired, black finger nailed Wonder: I think it is because it is so bad for you.
Me: Does Whole Foods sell beer, wine and coffee ?
Tatooed, pierced, purple haired, black finger nailed Wonder: Yeah.
You can get Coke at Kroger. I don't know what the cashiers look like there -- you might want to call ahead if certain hair and fingernail colors bother you.
WF does sell cola, but the natural kind, not the Coca Cola brand. I'm sure the reason they don't sell it is because of HFCS, as well as other chemicals in the product. Just my opinion though.
downtown rocks
Your stereotypes are exaggerated.
WF has policies requiring team members to only have hair colors that are natural. So no purple. You might see someone with red hair, though. Policies on piercings (the number and placement) are also in place.
WF doesn't sell products containing high fructose corn syrup or artificial dyes. This is why you will not see Coca-Cola in the stores. However, there are plenty of other cola products available, made with real sugar and real flavors.
How about a wholefoods in NorthWest Houston by the 290 and Hwy 6 ?
I'm tired of going down town
It's located at 701 Waugh at the corner of Dallas.
That should be West Dallas, 701 Dallas is Downtown.
Hey, thanks for the pic of my art in your article, I had a tour also and it is really a cool space. See you at the meet the artists' opening Friday, June 24 from 5:30-7:30. I know the wine and cheese will be gooood!
No thanks needed. I will try to stop by and meet you on Friday night.
RIght on!
Wholefoods is good for the specialty items....But overall it's way to expensive to shop every week.....Give me the other food stores for that.
You people are terrible spellers.
ps - Whole Foods rocks! Can't wait! Bring on the San Felipe/Post Oak location!
WF employees. I hope you don't listen to union organizers. When I go into a WF I see happy smiling employees and the costs don't need to go higher because of a union.
I wish this headline read "Sneak Peek at HEB Market Montrose". Whole Foods = over priced hippie shiat.
That's not too far off, their building an HEB at the corner of Dunlavy & Alabama.
I'm pretty happy to get this in the neighborhood. To the folks in suburbia, they keep building Whole Foods and premium supermarkets inside the loop because that is where the people with money live. That is also the reason they do not build in the suburbs typically (the people without money live there). When it isn't summer, it will be nice walking down to the new WF.
Poopoo: You're joking right? Just because you pay $600k for a 800 sqft condo downtown and people with brains pay $600k for a waterside 3500 sqft house down here doesn't mean you have money and we don't. Trust me there's enough yuppies down here in the South Shore area to warrant a "fancy" grocery store.
Poopoo: You're joking right? Just because you pay $600k for a 800 sqft condo downtown and people with brains pay $600k for a waterside 3500 sqft house down here doesn't mean you have money and we don't. Trust me there's enough yuppies down here in the South Shore area to warrant a "fancy" grocery store.
This has to be the most ignorant post I've read on this site.
If stuck-up d-bags like "PooPoo" are the people I'll have to share the new Whole Foods store with, I'm better off roughing it at the local HEB with the rest of my fellow Clear Lake "poor folks". People who think they are better than others because of the zip code they live in are sad.
I live on W. Dallas right by the store and that part of town is in the civic association of North Montrose. It's right of Waugh Drive in the shadow of the American General buildings. It looks very nice and will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. WF's is the bomb. I like to go in, just to go in. I primarily shop at Rice Epicurean on Westheimer but go to WF's for vitamins and other things.
Hey Chuck, keep on thinking that way. Thinking that way.... while you're sitting in traffic.... just thinking and thinking and thinking. Obviously I am joking. Clearly people in clear lake have wealth abounding that us po' folks in River Oaks/Montrose/Rice U just can't imagine. Oh how I wish I had a waterfront home in clear lake so I could go to Landry's. Meanhwile, you keep asking why WF won't build a location near you. Ah, yes you are the jokester!
It is definitely in Montrose as the north border of Montrose is Allen Parkway and the west border is Shepherd. I know because I drew the boundaries in the 1970s when I named the neighborhood that prior to that was called the Lower Westheimer area.
Welcome Whole Foods.
Your crazy. The Montrose was around well before the 1970's.
This store is NOT in the Montrose area. It IS one block south of Allen Parkway and more River Oaks/West Grey than anything. Go to Google maps for gosh sakes.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=701+waugh+drive&hl=en&ll=29.759572,-95.398...
Appreciate your response. I say you are wrong. Yes, it looks a lot like River Oaks and less like that area of Westheimer around Montrose Blvd. But, it's like naming a child. I did it in 1974. You can call it anything you want. I respect your view.
As for supermarkets, I'm sure I'll go to Whole Foods time to time. But I usually go to the Montrose Kroger, aka Disco Kroger. That's the one on Montrose Blvd. But, technically, the West Gray Kroger is also in Montrose, even though the shopping center is name River Oaks. Confused? Good. Let's have a cocktail.
Go the the Neartown Association website. Those are the boundaries of Montrose. Deal with it.
Just though I would mention that we get organic from the HEB on Buffalo Speedway at a much better price.. Not paying for the WF logo...
most HEB's do not have the wide array of organic produce and products that WF does...I definitely buy what I can from HEB or order online from iherb, vitacost..etc but mostly I have no choice but to buy certain things from WF because there is nowhere else they can be found.
The only thing worse than Whole Fools is the people who shop there.
looks really nice..LOVE the artwork!! I also hope the workers aren't snobby as hell like the ones that work at the WF on kirby...
Was at WF last week and was told by the manager that they are considering building on in Katy and one in Clear Lake area between Nasa Road and El Dorado off of I45 by the end of the year or the first of next year. Considering the old Home Depot store to be renovated...
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