Yesterday was a day I’ve been waiting for since, oh, about 2007 when I first moved to Charlotte. You see, in Atlanta I was spoiled rotten with a Whole Foods a mile down the road from where I lived. When I moved here and found out the closest Whole Foods was either in Greenville, SC or Winston Salem, I was devastated.
Once Whole Foods heard of my misery without them, they decided to open a Charlotte location! Finally, that day arrived. Yesterday… In South Park. Which is still about 45 from my house. HA. Oh well, that didn’t stop me.
Neither did the rain.
Or the overflowing parking lot.
Because I knew once I weaved my way through the masses…
I’d be welcomed into my happy place.
And I was. I’m sure a lot of you have seen the inside of a Whole Foods, so you’ve seen the aisles lined with products that you can trust because they have to abide by the Whole Foods Unacceptable Ingredient List.
You’ve also probably seen their extensive food bars, pizza, sushi bar and make-your-own-sandwich station, but have you seen the make-your-own-trail-mix station?
Or their bulk bath salts?
I can’t remember the last time I’ve even taken a bath, but it took everything inside of me not to get some.
If you’re not yet understanding my infatuation with WF, let me tell you about the cooking school they have inside of it… or the fact that there is a bar that serves all NC beers all the time. And a wine loft upstairs.
And their baby clothes? So darn cute!
Can you tell we were there for a while? Hailey had to grab a snack to eat while cruised the aisles.
She downed her Earth’s Best pouch while I ohh’d and ahh’d over the bulk goods section which included dried mushrooms and salts. IN BULK. Yes, I could just get a sample of pink Himalayan sea salt without spending a small fortune on a bottle of it.
So there’s the cooking school, the wine loft, the salts in bulk, but what I found most impressive was the amount of emphasis on eating and buying local.
For a huge company like Whole Foods, I was shocked at all the local foods they offered and love that they clearly labeled the local.
As a big fan of supporting local businesses and farms, this made my day.
We left with only a few items in our cart,
but we weren’t really there to shop. We were there for the mother daughter experience and the smiles.
And yes, I realize that makes me weird.
Are you a Whole Foods fan?
Why or why not?
Jessie says
Oh I love Bone Suckin Sauce!! So good 🙂 What a fun outting for the two of you!
Andrea says
No Whole Foods anywhere near where I live (Buffalo, NY) but we have WEGMANS! And from what I understand, outside of the Unacceptable Ingredients for Food (which I never heard of but am in love with now), I think it could give WF a run for its money. Hand rolled sushi to order, trail mix bar, Mediterranean bar (with fresh hummus and my personal favorite, Gorgonzola stuff giant olives), the largest organic section of any other grocery store I know, a Patisserie to make anyone a sweet tooth, I could go on. Oh, and shop on Saturday around 11:30am and you could basically make lunch out of all the sampels you can find around the store. And I’m not the only one in love with Wegmans! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/best-supermarkets_n_1398053.html#s835342&title=1_Wegmans
Jess Mathias says
My husband is from Upstate NY – Rochester- and he LOVES Wegmans. We have to go there everytime we are near one – DC, Rochester, etc… Big time love for Wegmans. WF and Wegmans are very very similiar. 🙂
Kelli says
Ugh we are from Pa and moved to Tampa, Fl and miss Wrgmans!!
Brittany says
I’ve heard amazing things about Wegmans and hate that I’ve never been in one! I’ll do a happy dance the day I find one and get to explore a new grocery 🙂
Tanya @ Vegan Faith says
I can’t wait to go! I haven’t told Alex about it yet, so I plan to surprise him with a special date night next month, once it slows down a bit!
Erica says
You have no idea how envious of you I am! I actually planned a trip with my Mom once to New Orleans (3 hours away) JUST to go to a whole foods!
Brittany says
Haha! Sounds exactly like something I’d do. We’d be great friends 🙂
Erin @ The Grass Skirt says
I love WF but haven’t made it to the new one yet. I’m waiting for the crowds to die down a bit, so I can take my time like a dork and admire everything. 🙂
Hanna says
I’ve never beenn to a Whole Foods before, but one will be opening up soon in Tallahassee, FL., which is about 45 minutes away from where I live. I’ll have to check it out!
Kelly says
LOVE Whole Foods! Also love Earth Fare! Whole Foods is about 30 mins away so I go once a month and spend a couple hours there 🙂
Lisa @ The Splattered Apron says
I LOVE Whole Foods. It’s bad. Also, I’m admiring Hailey’s form with the pouch. Caroline doesn’t eat them often, but when she does, she thinks it’s a lot of fun to squeeze them so they explode all over herself (and me!) and then laughs hysterically. I love/hate those pouches 😉
Hallie@ChasingHallie says
Molly does the exact same thing! The pouches are a supervised activity!
Lee says
The one closest to my house is really small but there is one about 10 miles from my office that I go to sometimes at lunch that’s big like the Charlotte one. They have the bulk salts too but no bar area.
Danielle says
Try the truffle salt in bulk! It will change your grilled veggies forever 🙂
Brittany says
I’m considering driving back down there today just to take your suggestion! Truffle salt sounds amazing!!
Rachel W says
I live VERY close to the new store and can’t wait to go visit once the crowds die down!! I especially can’t wait to enjoy their NC beers once I have my baby this fall 🙂
Lisa says
So jealous of your Whole Foods! And I love that you went for the experience to share with Hailey!
I totally wish we had a Whole Foods near me.
Jereka says
I’ve been waiting for this since I came to the Charlotte area as well. Haven’t lived in a town with a Whole Foods since I left Chapel Hill, so I can’t wait to visit! Great post.
KaraHadley says
I live in Greensboro, so our WF just opened a couple of months ago. And I LOVE it! I’ve never lived near one, so I’m amazed at how quickly I abandoned by other grocery stores for WF. It’s just so pleasant to shop there. Though I really wish mine had a wine and beer loft.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
We have 2 Whole Foods in the city I live in. One is just down the street from me, and luckily, it’s the small original one. I love the small one, it’s where I do my shopping. The bigger one is just set up so bad for normal shopping! It’s cool that it’s big and has a tap room, etc, but I just hate going to the big one because it takes me double the time to do my shopping there.
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers says
I want to go on Saturday, but the crowds are kinda’ scary! Perhaps I’ll wait until it dies down a bit. 🙂 I love WF’s animal welfare standards. So much respect!
Mrs. D says
I love love love WF! I dont think my local one has a cooking school, but I’m usually in and out! I am definitely investigating this!
jodie says
I like coops. Whole Foods is okay but I love the vibe at coops.
Erin @ erinberries says
I’m surprised that you were able to get so many photos! I’ve tried taking pictures in my Whole Foods and they asked me to stop for some reason. But who knows? Maybe I was an annoying paparazzi.
Chantal says
Ugh I’m jealous. Pretty sure the closest Whole Foods is, uh, 4 hours away? It’s killing me!
Casey says
I feel lucky to have as many around me as I do. We’re getting a Trader Joe’s soon, too, so I’m interested to check that out after all the hype on the blogs I read! You’re a trooper though driving 45 minutes in the rain. 🙂
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
I LIVE at whole foods. In college, I drove 45 minutes each way every weekend to shop there.
Kurt says
Be sure to check out the mezzanine level eating area next time you’re at the Charlotte store where there is a fun little peach-theme corner carved out just for kids. Fun fun.
Megan @ My Path in Motherhood says
I so wish I had a Whole Foods remotely close to me! I was only in one when I was in Atlanta for a work trip and totally didn’t appreciate it at the time – I was eating junk food all the time and didn’t see what the appeal was of a store that sold more expensive food. Your Whole Foods looks amazing though! So jealous!
Paige Colson says
I’m so glad to find someone who loves Whole Foods as much as me! We don’t have one here in Gainesville, FL but every time I go to Atlanta I have to go by the WF up there! So Fun!