Whole Foods is getting ready to open its first Charlotte store, and the company is offering sneak preview tours to drum up interest.
The tours are scheduled for Sunday, August 26 and Monday, August 27. You can register here for a time slot on the 45-minute tour, but be aware that there is a cost. A $5 donation will be collected at the door, which Whole Foods says will go to benefit the community garden organization Friendship Gardens.
"Tour participants will be the first to get a glimpse of the new store, learn about some of its highlights and features, taste samples in each department, and receive a goodie bag," said spokeswoman Darrah Horgan, in an email.
The 42,000-square-foot store at Sharon and Fairview roads opens Wednesday, Aug. 29, at 9 a.m. Whole Foods is bringing an array of high-end touches to the new store, such as an in-house smoker making North Carolina-style pork, a gelato and smoothie bar, cooking classes and demonstrations, children's play areas and a bar serving wine and beer.
Whole Foods will use those features to compete in the especially-crowded Charlotte grocery market. Its nearest competitors are EarthFare and the newly-renovated and expanded Morrocroft Harris Teeter.
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