Friday roundup: Whole Foods, new South End boutique

Whole Foods is now targeting late summer for its long-anticipated opening in Charlotte, a company spokeswoman said this week.

The retailer broke ground on its new SouthPark-area store almost a year ago, in April. The company originally said it would open the store at Fairview and Sharon roads this spring, although no date was set.

Spokeswoman Darrah Horgan said the new opening date will be in late summer, although the store doesn't announce specific dates until they're within a few weeks. Construction is unpredictable, she said, and the new store's interior still has work to be done.

Also, in South End, a new boutique called Blush is set to take Niche Market's place at the intersection of South Tryon Street and Camden Road. No details yet, but there's a sign up in the window announcing it's coming soon. Here's a post about Niche's quiet closure.

Whole Foods seeking local produce vendors

If you're looking for an upscale supermarket to sell your produce to, read on: Whole Foods is holding an open house for potential local vendors on Monday, Feb. 27.


The Whole Foods store, Charlotte's first, is under construction at the corner of Fairview and Sharon roads. The store is expected to open this summer, Whole Foods says.

Buyers for the retailer's southern region will be at the Cabarrus County Extension Office from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to meet with local growers, sample their produce and give details on becoming a vendor.

You can read about Whole Foods' standards for foods here. The extension office's location is below.



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Whole Foods-Charlotte store rendering

Whole Foods to give away 100 turkeys in Charlotte on Monday

High-end organic grocer Whole Foods is giving away 100 free turkeys on Monday, as the company seeks to generate buzz ahead of its Charlotte opening next year.

The contest is a sort of guerilla-marketing strategy. Interested shoppers will have to follow the Facebook page for Whole Foods Charlotte location for instructions. They'll have to find a turkey mascot and tell him the answer to a question ("What makes a Whole Foods turkey different?") to get the bird.

The turkeys will come in insulated cooler bags, spokeswoman Darrah Horgan said, along with tips for how to cook them.

Whole Foods has long been one of the most anticipated additions to the Charlotte retail scene, especially after scrapping earlier plans to build a store in the Elizabeth area years ago. (Here's an earlier story, for those hungry for more details).

The grocer broke ground on the 42,000-square-foot store at Fairview and Sharon roads in April, and the store is expected to be open in the spring. The location is diagonally across from SouthPark mall, and in a location already offering high-end grocery options, including EarthFare and Harris Teeter's Morrocroft location.