Finishing Touches Going On The Whole Foods: Some Shelves Stocked, Aiming For Aug. 20

Finishing touches go on the Columbia Whole Foods

They've got a store almost built in Columbia, and the Whole Foods looks like it will change the entire lakefront -- at least for us.

The Whole Food sign it up.  The parking lot looks done.  Peeking through the glass windows, it looks like some of the shelves are stocked and people are working to install, unload and generally prepare for the August 20 grand opening.

The Whole Foods coming to Columbia will be in the white building across from the Columbia Mall on Little Patuxent Parkway.  It's between the main library and the new construction site for an apartment building.

For many people, this will just be another grocery store.  But we're expecting a big change as August turns into September.  We walked around the Whole Foods on Tuesday and talked about a dozen uses -- buying groceries, grabbing dinner, picking a drink after walking around the lake, buying a picnic and sitting outside on the grass ....

That's the striking part of this location.  The Whole Foods sits next to the lakefront park -- just up from Clyde's, Le Comptoir, Sushi Sono and more.  We shopped the Rockville store Monday, and it's just a beautiful array of food at the base of an apartment building.  The Columbia store really changes the entire lakefront.  We imagine walking that path, sitting on that grass watching boats on the lake.

Whole Foods first announced its lease in July 2012.  It's amazing how long some things take, but then it's a change so large that "Whole Foods Coming To Columbia" was my April Fool's joke just four years ago.  As I walked around the building, I thought that Wordbones would have loved the real estate and the change to Columbia.