Whole Foods Opens In Lafayette May 18

Thursday's "soft opening" of Lafayette’s Whole Foods Market allowed for plenty of photo ops, along with these highlights of the invitation only tour.

• The May 15 Community Picnic will happen rain or shine (yes, they have tents) and feature a kid’s treasure hunt. Children will search for local producers’ products, fill out a score card, and Whole Food will celebrate by making a flat donation to the Lafayette Farmer’s Market at the end of the day.
• Marketing Team Leader Jane Shafer is already working with local schools to launch a collaborative exchange with Stanley and Lafayette Elementary next fall. Look for summer workshops leading up to the September program.
• Team Leader Gary Ramirez is talking with Steve’s Bees about having beehives installed on the roof. Heat is an issue, but having a unique honey line is the dream.
• The definition of “local” is anything within a 100 mile radius, or thereabouts. The store has Livermore wines, local cosmetic products, meats, produce, flowers and more.

Because parking is always a big deal for everyone in Lafayette, Ramirez explained the situation in detail:

“The employee-only lot will be monitored by the store. Identifying placards will be given to employees to place in the cars,” he said. “The landlord for the shopping center will be monitoring the two hour parking limit in the public lot.”

Ramirez said he did not intend to have violators towed immediately. Instead, a few warning notices will be issued before ticketing any car found parked illegally.

“Towing isn’t being a good neighbor and we want to let people know that the whole center, not just Whole Foods, needs the parking spaces,” he said.

Enjoy the photo tour, and tell us what you’re planning to buy when Whole Foods opens its doors to the public on May 18.