Whole Foods opens in Interbay – so what about West Seattle?

We went to the new Interbay Whole Foods this afternoon – opening its doors for a public reception of sorts from now till 8 pm today, then officially opening at 8 am tomorrow – mostly to see if we could find out anything about the on-hold store here. We also wanted to meet regional spokesperson Vicki Foley, who has helped us get answers to WF questions over these many months (she’s based in Vancouver, B.C., so we’d never talked in person before). Nothing new re: West Seattle from their standpoint, she says – the official word is that they’re waiting for everything to get “sorted out.” That means, in particular, the court fight; two of the lawsuits over the project have been consolidated and have almost 200 documents on file (we check the online records at least twice a week). Because so many firms (construction, consultants, engineering, Whole Foods itself, etc.) are party to the suits, each document comes with a long list of who has to get a copy. In the meantime, she says, West Seattle remains the only “under development” store in the Seattle area, though she says their real-estate team is planning to tour prospective Washington/Oregon sites before the end of the year. So if WF ever does come here, what’ll you see? They’re launching kombucha bars in their Allegro coffee shops, for one, starting with Interbay:

That’s Josh from Townshend’s Tea Company, installing the kombucha machine while we were visiting this afternoon. Looking at the rest of the store, it’s the first grocery we’ve seen with neon:

For a few more photos of the Interbay store, check out this story from our fellow independent community-collaborative neighborhood-news site, MyBallard.com. Meantime, as for the status of the legal action regarding the West Seattle site (where, if you haven’t been following the story, construction now has been stalled for a year, with a huge hole sitting empty at 39th/Fauntleroy/Alaska) – various hearings are coming up regarding the foreclosure action that was filed (here’s our most recent story).

25 Replies to "Whole Foods opens in Interbay - so what about West Seattle?"

  • christopherboffoli October 12, 2009 (4:33 pm)

    One of the clerks over at Peet’s (across the parking lot) told me on Saturday that the Interbay Whole Foods was actually ready to open last week but that they had a Feng Shui expert come in at the last minute and that consultant suggested some changes to the chi flow delayed the opening slightly. I wonder…. did you see any hastily arranged stands of indoor bamboo during your tour? How about goldfish bowls at the registers or little red pillows for the cashiers? :-)

  • WSB October 12, 2009 (4:36 pm)

    It was still really hectic with folks finishing stocking etc. so no … no little touches … But tomorrow is actually a day ahead of the date that was announced two months ago:
    http://www.queenanneview.com/2009/08/18/interbay-whole-foods-opening-october-14

  • Dave October 12, 2009 (4:57 pm)

    I hereby re-iterate my vote to replace the prospective Whole Foods with Trader Joe’s.
    Please.

  • mark October 12, 2009 (5:24 pm)

    Whole Paycheck? Who needs them? Best of luck Magnolia, you can have them.

  • Amy October 12, 2009 (6:04 pm)

    I concur, I lived around Whole Foods stores back in Denver/Boulder for years and they have forever been severely over-priced! I want to see Trader Joe’s come to town. They are much more reasonable and the attitudes are much more down-to-earth.

    We already have 3 fairly pricey stores, Thriftway, PCC and Metropolitan, I don’t think we need any more.

    I have never been that impressed with them anyway, how much more expensive can an organic apple get for the prices they charge?!?

    As far as the Feng Shui aspect to holding up the opening….well…I have never noticed the difference in any grocery store as to its chi. I have total respect for the art of Feng Shui but this is pushing the envelope add-nausium!

  • Mr. Matt October 12, 2009 (7:13 pm)

    Seconding “Dave” up there. Trader Joe’s yes; Hole Foods no.

  • Jeff October 12, 2009 (7:32 pm)

    A Trader Joe’s would be nice, but it would be awesome to see PCC expand their store so they can offer more like the ones in Everett and Issaquah.

  • KT October 12, 2009 (8:09 pm)

    Will never happen.

  • redd October 12, 2009 (8:22 pm)

    Whole Foods is one of the best markets out there. Whole paycheck is a myth. Yes they have high end items but they also have better deals than the competitors. You just need to do your research.

  • mark October 12, 2009 (8:43 pm)

    Redd, where have you been and who are you comparing them too???? You obviously didn’t read the PI (back when we had the PI) when they did a price check or perhaps the national comparison done by Consumer Reports? There is no Myth to the “Whole Paycheck” name

  • anna October 12, 2009 (8:45 pm)

    Trader Joes would be so much better than Whole Foods…don’t need WF since Met Market and Morgan St. Thriftway already command the expensive but cool stuff scene in West Seattle!

  • elena October 12, 2009 (10:45 pm)

    Trader Joe’s yes; Hole Foods no.

  • HealthcareNowPlz October 12, 2009 (10:58 pm)

    I’ve found Whole Foods to be interesting the few times I’ve made the trek to one, but I’m currently avoiding shopping at them entirely thanks to their CEO’s rant against “Obamacare” and the high-deductible health insurance he offers to his employees. I’m far enough south to be able to access the Trader Joe’s in Burien easily, but I’d love to see another Trader Joe’s here instead of Whole Foods.

  • mar3c October 13, 2009 (6:39 am)

    after seeing how people behave and drive trying to get curb parking at trader joe’s in ballard, i don’t know if it’s such a good idea.
    .
    what would be great is if that corner had – oh, i dunno – A SCHUCK’S AND A FABRIC STORE.
    .
    not to mention more parking for west seattle bowl.
    .
    seriously. how much revenue has that debacle cost the businesses that were already established?

  • Jane Freemont October 13, 2009 (7:54 am)

    As a beverage manufacturer I know that Trader Joe’s
    Treats vendors badly, driving prices down like Walmart does, and making it hard for small companies to makje any profit.

  • 35this35mph October 13, 2009 (9:13 am)

    “what would be great is if that corner had – oh, i dunno – A SCHUCK’S AND A FABRIC STORE.”

    ROTFL! Nice! If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…

    Also, didn’t a previous WSB story report that TJ’s only opens in existing storefronts; no new construction? In which case the “hole” is not an option for them, at least in its current state.

  • Audrey October 13, 2009 (9:44 am)

    WF will never open; they are suffering financially and it will more efficient for them to pay to get out of it. I also vote for Trader Joe’s but I’ve heard they wouldn’t build large enough to fill the space. Regardless, we need to lobby them to open here — who’s with me.

  • Todd October 13, 2009 (9:55 am)

    You’ve to to be kidding me! While I hate the eyesore of the open pit, it’s actually far, far prettier than the the abomination that was Schuck’s and Hancock fabrics before. That had to be the ugliest building and parking lot I’ve ever seen. The entrance to West Seattle improved the day they were torn down.

    Now we need to get that hole filled. I, personally, was looking forward to Whole Foods, not because of their individual items, but because of the wonderful prepared foods and salad bar that they have; even the Thriftway and MetMarket don’t compare. I agree I would love to have a Trader Joe’s, too. Anything is better than the open hole — except the original Schuck’s and Hancock Fabrics, of course! And I would use Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s far more than I would use even the prettiest Schuck’s or Hancock.

  • austin October 13, 2009 (10:02 am)

    Grocery stores are ridiculous, as is debating grocery stores. I personally would rather have any business in that location over the existing pit, whether I felt it was responsible, useful, or “cheap” to shop there (lol).

  • hootergirl October 13, 2009 (10:20 am)

    Who cares!!

  • dawsonct October 13, 2009 (10:40 am)

    WOW! A TJ’s mention in the third comment! I believe that MAY tie a record!
    At this point, because of all you single-issue food pos(t)ers, I am now officially rooting that we never, ever, EVER, get a Trader Joe’s. Go to PFI.

  • dawsonct October 13, 2009 (10:54 am)

    One of my co-worker’s GF works at the Interbay WF; feng shweee! isn’t the only borderline ridiculous thing going on at that store, they’ve installed “power(!?)” crystals around the store.

    I’m all for thoughtful design, interior and otherwise, and crystals sure are pretty, and if they are big enough they could pack a fair amount of (kinetic) power, but good god y’all, realize when you are starting to turn that corner. No doubt in my mind John Mackey is not completely in control of his faculties.

  • ktstine October 13, 2009 (12:14 pm)

    Ah the good old WF/TJ debate! As has been pointed out here on many occasions, the likelihood of TJs moving to this lot is slim to none. The Trader Joe’s business model entails small stores (compared to a Whole Foods and QFC) and LOW RENT. Just look at the spaces they occupy all over Seattle – they don’t resemble anything like the size and cost of this space (I bet there is a good million in the dirt already in excavation, shoring and environmental remediation). Now, some other developer may eventually get this parcel at a discount because of the market right now, but it will never, ever be cheap enough or small enough for TJs to move there.

    So this begs the question: Would a Whole Foods be better than a big old HOLE in the ground. I say yes.

  • mar3c October 14, 2009 (7:07 am)

    todd:
    .
    obviously you don’t change your own oil. (don’t get me started on carquest, either.)
    .
    i agree that those buildings needed some serious help – and maybe a smaller building closer to the street instead of a giant parking lot – but the fact is that whole foods supplanted two thriving businesses and put parking for w.s. bowl on residential streets.
    .
    whole foods should pay to rebuild a building similar in size to the old one, fill the damned hole, and leave it a little better than they found it.
    .
    we don’t need bankrupt businesses doing ad hoc neighborhood planning for us.

  • Woody Atterberry October 15, 2009 (12:01 pm)

    “Ethically made in China”

    I’m not perfect – but I Don’t pretent to be.

    Also, I certainly don’t Re-sell slave made Chinese water bottles, and grocery totes.

    SHAME

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