The wait is (almost) over! Whole Foods Market 365 has announced the grand opening of both the Paces Ferry Plaza store on the corner of Northside Parkway and West Paces Ferry Road behind Blue Ridge Grill, as well as a Decatur location on Wednesday, December 12 at 9am. In addition to private label brand goods the market will offer hot and cold bars, specialty cheeses, fresh meat, seafood, and produce as seen at traditional Whole Foods markets. Each location will host an outpost of Loteria, an LA-based Mexican restaurant, as part of their Friends of Whole Foods Market Program, which brings in outside chefs and lifestyle brands to enhance the customer’s cuisine selection and shopping experience.
“For the first time in company history, Whole Foods Market is opening two stores in the same market on the same day, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce the Decatur and Northside Buckhead communities to the Whole Foods Market 365 concept, and our curated, high quality and reasonably priced product selection,” said Jeff Turnas, President of Whole Foods Market 365 in a press release.
“In celebration, our Atlanta customers will also be the first to experience our new seasonal and unique 365 Faves program, a selection of our favorite new products available only for a limited time. We can’t wait to open the doors and bring great food to more people at low prices.”
On opening day, the first 100 customers in line at either location will be given a Whole Foods Market 365 gift card ranging in value between $5 and $365 (see what they did there?) and a free reusable tote. There will be coffee, snacks, and music beginning at 9am.
Updated November 6, 2018Progress Continues at Paces Ferry Plaza and Whole Foods 365
Construction is steadily progressing at the 81,768 square feet Paces Ferry Plaza that will soon be anchored by the Whole Foods 365 that we announced back in February of 2017.
Ace Hardware has recently relocated and opened in their new location at the north end of the complex, and the row of storefronts is home to a number of retailers such as Woo Cosmetics, Hollywood Feed, Pero’s Pizza, and Baby Braithwaite. Some shops are open now, while others are still being built out and completed.
At the northwest end of the lot Houston’s steakhouse, a neighborhood staple, continues to thrive despite disruptions and construction taking place in the parking lot. Customers bustle to and from their cars in the crowded and dusty lot, navigating around wheelbarrows and construction equipment.
The big news, of course, is 365 by Whole Foods Market, a sprawling building that dominates the southern end of the plaza. As of July 2018 the external structure has been erected and work continues inside while workers make progress in the lot that will become the front entry and rows of parking.
While an official open date is yet to be announced, there are whispers that 365 by Whole Foods will be debuting their Buckhead location around November of this year. (UPDATE 11/06/18: The grand opening has been announced for December 12, 2018, see the update at the top of this post)
The news is certainly exciting for local residents who can take advantage of lower prices than what is offered by traditional Whole Foods stores, and with this 365 concept they are also implementing a rewards program, maintaining an emphasis on technology and how it can improve the shopping experience for tech-savvy shoppers, all while providing the quality produce, hot and cold bars, and 365 house brand that customers know and love.
Aware of the potential problems for parking capacity in the existing lot, the developers have planned a two level parking deck underneath the building that will be accessible from both Northside Parkway and West Paces Ferry Road. The retail portion of the building will clock it at around 29,740 square feet, and the costs for the project are estimated to be around $4,487,000.
The 365 concept aims to be more appealing to millennials who have until this point been unable to afford Whole Foods characteristically high prices, and that will surely be seen in the design choices that the company plans to implement. Other 365 by Whole Foods stores have incorporated retail space for partnerships with local businesses, and only time will tell which of our favorite independent retailers may set up shop within the confines of the new market.
More information about the 365 by Whole Foods concept can be found on their website, and you can learn more about the Paces Ferry Plaza and its progress on their facebook page.
