Whole Foods Market officially opened its newly relocated 45,231 square-foot St. Paul store this morning. The new, larger store around the corner from the previous location welcomed over 600 St. Paul residents at the Grand Opening Celebration.
“We are thrilled so many could celebrate the next chapter of Whole Foods Market St. Paul,” says Andrew Kartak, Store Team Leader, Whole Foods Market St. Paul. “We saw so many familiar faces who’ve been shopping with us for years and many new faces at the opening celebration this morning. It is such a privilege to be apart of this amazing community and we really hope they like all the new features found in the store.”
Shoppers at the opening were delighted to see a variety of new features.
A first in Whole Foods Market Minnesota stores, the Selby Grill offers a vast selection of local and hard-to-find beers on 12 rotating taps. To celebrate the Grand Opening, Surly Brewing is taking over the taps with seasonal favorites like Cacao Bender American brown ale, BLAKKR imperial black IPA, Pentagram Brett dark ale/sour and Brett Mikkel’s IPA, and fan-favorite brews such as Nein imperial smoked dunkelweizen, and Darkness 2015 Barrel-Aged Russian imperial stout.
The Selby Grill also features made to order breakfast items as well as burgers, cheese curds, loaded tater tot nachos, french fries, poutine, chicken and fish po’boy sandwiches, and much more. Other exciting choices include: house smoked sandwiches, Neapolitan-style pizza, hot bar, salad bar, olive and pickle bar, sushi, and many other grab-and-go meals and sides for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Capital Café hosts a variety of light, medium and dark roasted coffees, espresso drinks, blended beverages and cold brew on tap, full of rich flavors needed to kick-start the day. Another first for Whole Foods Market Minnesota, the Juice Bar is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, ripe and ready for fresh pressed juice and smoothies.
St. Paul residents also enjoy 12 gelato and sorbet options, fresh sushi and over 50 cookie varieties.
With a large variety of custom-cut meats, organic and local produce, and pantry staples, Whole Foods Market St. Paul is the go-to grocer for every level of food explorers.
Classically-trained butchers and meat cutters carve and grind in-house beef, pork, chicken and turkey that comes from farms that have achieved certification in the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-StepTM Animal Welfare Rating program. For the new Whole Foods Market St. Paul, made in-house sausages offers exciting blends such as chorizo, Andouille, Italian and spicy Italian, buffalo blue cheese, and a signature St. Paul brat made with jalapenos and cheddar cheese. For bacon lovers, in-house smoked sweet and spicy blends including sweet heat, jalapeno, savory, maple and apple cinnamon add robust flavors to culinary creations.
Whole Foods Market St. Paul offers a variety of wild-caught or farmed seafood including in-house smoked seafood options such as smoked salmon candy, smoked salmon salads and smoked lobster tails. Whole Foods Market has the highest quality standards for seafood in the business and ensures customers can make the best environmental choices when purchasing seafood sourced locally and around the world.
The skilled bakers in Whole Foods Market St. Paul’s scratch bakery use only ingredients that meet Whole Foods Market’s high Quality Standards, fresh natural butters and creams, and unbleached, unbromated flours for the variety of breads and pastries they create daily. The cheese department is a culinary destination offering over 150 specialty cheeses free of artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, preservatives and hydrogenated oils.
As America’s Healthiest Grocery Store, what goes on the body is just as important as what goes in the body. Whole Foods Market St. Paul marks the first brick-and-mortar destination in Minnesota for the widely popular online cosmetic and facial care product line, W3LL People.
To celebrate opening day, Whole Foods Market hosted its version of a ribbon cutting called a “Bread-Breaking Ceremony” with Whole Foods Market Team Members, Councilman Dai Thao and St. Paul neighbors, officially opening at 9 a.m. The first 500 customers through the doors received a Whole Foods Market Gift Card with a mystery value between $5 and $50. One lucky customer received a $500 gift card.
Whole Foods Market’s St. Paul store will continue to empower Team Members and customers to support local causes. In celebration of the first week at the new location, the store will hold five “Days of Community Giving,” where 1 percent of each day’s sales will go toward five area schools:
- Wednesday, March 16 – Randolph Heights Elementary
- Thursday, March 17 – Linwood Monroe Elementary School
- Friday, March 18 – Four Seasons A+ Elementary School
- Saturday, March 19 – Ramsey Middle School
- Sunday, March 20 – Central High School
Whole Foods Market’s One Dime at a Time program provides an incentive to customers who bring their own bags for shopping and helps develop stronger communities. At the register, customers will have the option to receive a 10-cent per bag refund as cash back off their purchase or they can choose to donate it to that month’s selected charity organization. Whole Foods Market St. Paul’s first One Dime at a Time recipient at the new store will be Urban Roots, March 16 – June 30.
Whole Foods Market currently has five additional locations in Minnesota including Minnetonka at 1001 Plymouth Rd.; Edina at 7401 France Ave. S.; Maple Grove at 12201 Elm Creek Blvd. N.; and two locations in Minneapolis at 3060 Excelsior Blvd and 222 Hennepin Ave.
The original Whole Foods Market St. Paul at 30 Fairview Avenue South closed permanently Tuesday, March 15 and donated remaining product to Second Harvest Heartland.
