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On nights and weekends, it’s almost impossible to maneuver the Whole Foods at 2905 Pearl Street, as Boulder shoppers pack the narrow aisles and socialize over produce.
And for that reason, the store’s undergoing a major expansion, nearly doubling in size by taking over the former Barnes & Noble space next door.
While the company is building out, it’s also bringing in new tenets of locavorism, the goal of which is to model the space for the community and support area suppliers.
“The store already feels very Boulder,” says Ben Friedland, a spokesperson for Whole Foods. “We want to make it even more of a community spot.”
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The expanded section, slotted to house a new bakery and prepared foods section, will open first, and a large portion of it will be allocated to local providers. “We’ll bring on several interesting and unique local products that we think the community will be excited about,” reveals Friedland.
He won’t divulge many details, but cites deals with Udi’s bread, Canyon Bake House and Glacier Ice Cream. And as we told you earlier this week, local pastry-maker Kim & Jake’s Cakes will be there, too. The Whole Foods expansion should be done in Mid-December, and once the doors are open, the grocer will return to the existing side of the store to finish the upgrades. All renovations will be completed by May or June of next year.
