Charlestown needs a good supermarket with reasonable prices. Whole Foods is not that store. Their prices are too high for a lot of people.

Bring it on! I'm sick of brown meat, smelly fish, and rude cashiers. Good riddance to FM. Ever since I moved into Charlestown I've hoped for this to happen.

Chalk up another one for the "Deficit Mall"
maybe a high price supermarket can pay the high rent.
That Mall is a Joke!

YES!!! Johnnies is the grossest supermarket ever. I drive to Market Basket in Chelsea for affordable prices. Whole Foods would be very welcomed in the neighborhood!

This would be a boon for Charlestown! I used to think the prices there were outrageous until a friend of mine - who is very cheap - taught me that you can get out of there with more stuff for less money than most grocery stores if you shop the right way. You just have to pay more attention to prices. Also, the produce at Johnnie's is usually more expensive than Whole Foods. So if you're buying real food, you should do better anyway.

While Whole Foods has a reputation for being incredibly expensive, there are ways to shop on a budget at Whole Foods and get great food, including amazing fresh produce (an area in which Johnnie's is sometimes lacking). It would be great to see a Whole Foods come to the area, but taking over Johnnie's will make it more difficult for some residents to buy groceries at an affordable price, though Whole Foods does accept EBT and SNAP.

Overall I think it would be a positive change, but I wonder how Charlestown residents on the whole will respond.

I agree with the comments that Whole Foods is not as expensive as its reputation would have you believe. A store where we could get top-shelf produce and meats would be a terrific addition.

This news made my morning! I would welcome Whole Foods with open arms. Most of the people at Johnny's are great, but I think it would be awesome to have better quality produce, fish, meat and deli items. I've had to drive to other stores to get those items so it would be great to have them available right down the street!

This is the best news I have heard in the 12 years I have lived in Charlestown! No longer having to go to the one in Beacon Hill or Cambridge !

I first heard this bit of new on the down-low about two weeks ago and my first thought was "Thank God!" Johnnies Foodmaster has been price-gouging the communities it serves for decade-upon-decade and while I loathe certein aspects of Charlestowns' gentrification, the time is long past for this area to have a grocery store where the quality of the products reflect the prices and Johnnies was NEVER that.

Certainly an improvement. However, whole foods will really only cater to the yuppies that live in town. What about the poor old lady living off of nickels and dimes? Or those who have no vehicles and small food budets? Compare the price of an sack of flour or sugar at Whole paycheck to that anywhere else.

Wegmans, trader joes or even Market basket would be a lot better. The yuppies can drive thier Volvos and Beemers across the bridge to the beacon hill whole foods to get thier organic jasmine scented body spray.

I like Johnnies because of a very few people that work there that are always smiling and helpful (ie, Maria). As long as those folks still stick around and have a job at Whole Foods - I am all for this change. It would be incredible. Fingers crossed.

This rumor has been around for a while but I put no faith in it until this morning. I think this could be a very positive thing for the community. I agree 100% with some of the others - Whole Foods is not as expensive as its reputation would have you believe. If you are shopping for basics, and stay away from the fancier luxury items that they offer but you don't need to buy (who needs $60 olive oil?) - I think their prices are competitive. I actually find Johnnies to be more expensive on a lot of things. Agree 100% that we need to make sure that this is an option that works for the Charlestown community as a whole, but I think that it could.

Johnnies is expensive if you want to buy fresh and eat healthy. If you want to buy frozen and full of sugars, it's inexpensive. Go figure.

This would be a great add for our community - especially for the option to purchase healthy, prepared foods for a quick dinner (something that is severely lacking in Charlestown). I will miss Johnny's but would welcome the change!

I think it's wonderful! I would want to know if they would make an effort to hire people who worked at Johnnies. This just made my day!

This is the best news I've heard in a while. I shop at Whole Foods regularly (and on a budget). They have great fresh foods and their store brand (365) is delicious, high quality and definitely cheaper than Johnnie's Foodmaster. In fact, the times I have shopped at Johnnie's, I've ended up spending more for less food (and the food is definitely of a substandard quality). I think Whole Foods would be a great addition to the Bunker Hill Mall and the neighborhood as a whole.

It's true that Whole Foods offers luxury food items that are expensive. But they also offer affordable, fresh options -- it's all about what you choose to put in your cart. Whole Foods doesn't have to be expensive. Again, I shop there each week and stick to a strict budget, and I'm never disappointed.

I also would welcome Whole Foods as a great local employer. They are consistently ranked among the best places to work in America. I think the workplace culture is good for employees and would be good for Charlestown.

As for a Trader Joes, I'd like to see one too. But if anything, I think having a Whole Foods in the neighborhood makes it more likely that a Trader Joes will move in nearby. I've always noticed that Trader Joes seem to gravitate to neighborhoods where there is already a Whole Foods -- maybe it saves them the time of doing market research. The neighborhood could certainly support both.

I'm crossing my fingers that the talks move forward and that Whole Foods moves in.

Could be a good change. I’m curious about chance of re-hiring some wonderful Johnnie’s employees, impact on people with limited means of shopping elsewhere outside CTown, and WF's record of community involvement. Anyone know how these issues went when WF moved into Jamaica Plain last year?

While I feel for the people that relied on Johnnies as their main food source, I'm thrilled that we'll have a neighborhood market that isn't filled with overly-processed "food". Whole Foods has a significantly healthier selection of foods. Yes, you may pay more, but every single study done on the subject says that the more you pay for food, the less you pay for healthcare. It's not a bad thing to have more kids eating whole wheat cookies without high fructose corn syrup (that taste better than the processed ones). Eating real food is a huge priority for my family, so I'd be very happy with a WF in the neighborhood.

If enough people truly want a mainstream grocery store, perhaps a neighborhood group could rally and see if the 92 bus could add a stop that would include Stop & Shop in it's route after it stops at K-Mart/HomeGoods.

Finally, in terms of community involvement, WF does quite a bit in their local neighborhoods, and I believe they target their giving toward children's initiatives.

Mum 22, that is a great idea to have the bus extend to Stop & Shop. People can also take the 111 bus over to chelsea to market basket. Can't wait for Whole Foods!

It's better to pay the grocer than the doctor, as a wise person once said. I drive to other communities and spend my money there every week to get better quality produce and meats. I'd much rather spend that money in Charlestown and still be able to eat the healthy food that I like. I think that if this goes through WF should pay special attention to the lower-income community in Charlestown and make a real effort to include a wider range of low-priced items than they might in other stores. And please employ local folks (as someone else said, there are some incredibly nice people currently working at FM -- some are rude, yes, but on the whole I think the cashiers are sweet and the managers helpful.) Fingers crossed, would love to see this happen.

I'm sorry, but I'll have to stick up for the working class people and the elderly on this issue.

There is no way that working class families will be able to afford the items at Whole Foods, and neither will the elderly people of Charlestown. Yeah, its great that they have organic food, but I am thinking about the people who are already living paycheck to paycheck just to put food on the table. Unfortunately, replacing Johnnies with Whole Foods will be detrimental to the working class families in Charlestown.

As everyone else is suggesting that people take the bus to Chelsea for DeMula's or Somerville for Stop & Shop, why don't the people who want Whole Foods take the bus or free shuttle from the Navy Yard to Whole Foods in Beacon Hill?

As for the Globe's article, this isn't about a neighborhood become gentrified - it's simply about the price of food. There is no way that a working class family will be able to afford to feed a family of five or six with the prices at Whole Foods.

Both Johnnies and Whole Foods are a rip off anyways, what this town needs is a Market Basket if anything. Either way, it is a lose-lose situation.

Another concern is will Whole Foods really support the community? Will they cater to Harvest on Vine (our town's food pantry for the needy families), will they donate to the non-profits that have cook outs etc., will they let the young people use their helium to blow up balloons and decorate the parade route?

Taking a bus isn't an option when you need to buy a lot of items. Taking a bus isn't an option for senior citizens who can't carry heavy items. Taking a bus to do food shopping will only piss of the bus riders who have to deal with people taking up extra seat for their bundles.

Just like Trader Joe's & Stop & Shop, one needs to be careful in their shopping, Whole Foods or Johnnies are no different. You will find things more expensive and cheaper. The real question is are the staple foods any different in price. Sorry to say my experience Whole Food is more expensive on the most part.

Yes, Johnnie's has problems with there fresh foods which I don't think Whole Foods would be much different in the long haul as the food turn over for the size of the community is not quite large enough. If you go over to the Johnnies Chelsea store you see a big difference!

So you get into the physical size Vs the traffic a given store can support. In our case the size of the store and the limited parking limit the buying traffic so it just can't give you (us) the level of service a modern food store needs to sustain it's self. Why do you think Johnnies whats to sell? They know this which is why they are looking at selling this location.

Building a bigger store with sufficient parking to service not only us but the neighboring North End and Somerville areas is whats needed. Given the limits of the space of the mall it will take some effort to make it work. I see underground parking and even see a two floor mall in my cloudy crystal ball.

Sounds like an overwhelming amount of support for Whole Foods, which is great. As mentioned before, one can get what he/she needs from WF on a budget and if we're paying too much at Johnnie's as is - then why not pay for better food? Market Basket isn't even part of the conversation here. It's Foodmaster or Whole Foods and the decision here should be very obvious.

Whole Foods is not the answer.

Well Sean, there are two choices in this matter at the moment - Whole Foods or Johnnies. Sounds like the majority of folks prefer the former.

Try feeding a family of six on Whole Food prices, instead of your overpriced dog and get back to me.

:-). Family of four with an overpriced dog that weighs more than my kids combined. No sweat, Peg.

@Sean Boyle - I am afraid we're going to have to agree to disagree because from what I have heard around town (outside of the Patch), you couldn't be more wrong. Most everyone I have spoken to about this is ecstatic about this possibility....including the very shoppers I spoke with today at Johnnies. The talk about Market Basket is simply moot. Whole Foods isn't in negotiations with them, so it's not even worth discussing it as an option. Warm up the bus, I guess? I'll be walking home with my groceries from Whole Foods with a large majority of Charlestown residents.

Cannot Wait! WFM really gives back to the community and frankly Johnnies is expensive for what you get. WFM does have reasonable prices on many things, you just have know what to buy. If you have any friends in JP, talk to them. There was push back about WFM coming there as well, but it has turned out to be a great partnership between the neighborhood and WFM.

Best news I have heard in 30 years of living in Charlestown! I go to Wholefoods at Charles River Plaza almost daily. I shop the specials every week and the prices are not any more than JFM and the quality of produce, fish, meat, cheese, baked goods, etc. are far superior. Just check out this weeks sales flyer http://www2.wholefoodsmarket.com/storespecials/CRP_specials.pdf

The trouble with WF is that it will be the only grocery store in town. I don't think that was the case in JP, and certainly not in the other neighborhoods mentioned in the Globe article. WF has very limited (and expensive) gaps in its stock. For example, you can't buy decent paper goods (TP and paper towels), laundry detergent, balloons, inexpensive ethnic food (i.e., Goya), Friskies cat food, household goods, mainstream halloween/easter candy, greeting cards, etc. People who want to shop inexpensively will have to go elsewhere for these items, and will also have to buy mostly bulk, generic, and fresh foods to stay within a budget. And Whole Foods isn't above offering processed foods -- they are just more expensive than what Johnnie's offers. Ideally, both types of stores would be in Charlestown. Perhaps WF could open a smaller storefront that offers its outstanding items: seafood, meat, cheese, produce, and prepared goods -- that would complement a Johnnie's or Stop&Shop type store.

Get 99% of the items you mention at the CVS, Unleashed (cats), Durty Harry's (dogs) or Ace next door and eat better food.

When given the choice between Johnnies and Whole Foods, my answer is absolutely Whole Foods. I would welcome it to Charlestown and shop there regularly.

Paper towels? Since I started going to WF I stopped using them and use dishtowels and or rags instead. The money I save helps pay for healthier fresh food. Instead of mainstream candy I eat fresh fruit and dry fruit. The money I save at the dentist pays for that!

I agree that we should have a secondary store, but we only have Johnnies now and obviously they are not doing well or they would not be in the position to be purchased.

I do not believe that a Whole Foods is right for Charlestown. I have lived all my life in Charlestown and have shopped at Johnnies since it opened, I have never had a problem with anything. Whole foods might fit the budget of some people in Charlestown but it won't work for the people who depend on Johnnies. Whole foods will need to either increase their prices or increase volume. Volume is not the answer because I have always found the mall lot to be near capacity and there is no room for expansion. If Whole Foods wants to come here I'm sure that they can find space to build.

They don't want to come to Charelstown, per se. They want to buy up a few different locations from Johnnies...Charlestown happens to just be one of those locations. If they do buy the Charlestown Johnnies (fingers crossed), then they will absolutely thrive and be an outstanding addition to this community. The positives far outway the negatives.

I work at Foodmaster, so I may sound a little biasted, but what are me and our friends from Charlestown most importantly and other people who put in retirement years almost gonna do? If you ask me, I always hear how Whole Foods has this and that, but if you ask me...this is catering to the yuppies and pricing the average hard working Townie out. I"m sure its a great establishment, but me and a bunch of us have an uncertain future...not knowing if we go to work one day, they tell us to screw. I'm quite sure most Townies and not most yuppies like to go to a supermarket where they know what to expect for organic products. Organic shit is boga!! From what I hear, they don't even carry most popular products, like for example, Pringles chips or Campbells soup. A lot of hard working Townies and some more hard working people have an uncertain future, not knowing our last day of employment anymore. It's a hard way to live, not knowing all the facts.

There is almost nothing left in this town from my childhood. Mama Marias, Lori-Anns, etc. Even the KOC is moved so yuppies can get a condo, live next to the train and Whole Foods possibly. Peg and Al's, Moe's, I could go on for days.

Tear down the whole useless mall and put up more high priced condo's
And have no business left in Charlestown

There is a small parking lot that is never used to the left of Johnies, maybe Market Basket could expand the store and make it feasible. Heard that the carniies are starting a petition to keep WF from moving in???

I work at one of them in another city don't want to say where because I could lose my job before they take over. I love working there, great people I work with and the customers have been going there for years. They are going to be bullshit as well as we are. Some of the workers have been there for a very long time and that is all they know and it's going to be really hard for them. I just think this really sucks that owners of companies can do this to their employees when the workers have busted their asses to make them the millionaires that they are now.

I work 60+ hours a week to clothe and feed my family and DON'T have enough time to take a bus to somerville or chelsea for affordable food. Shame on anyone who would condone this. You might as well come to my house and take the food from my fridge. This isn't a matter of health or convenience, its a matter of FEEDING MY FAMILY. I don't think the supporters of whole foods understand how this will change my life, or many families in my position. If upper class lowers the bar to our level, you get b grade produce. If we (the working class) are forced to raise the bar to wf, we simply go malnourished OR take bus and/or cab all the way to and from chelsea or somerville w bags and bags of food just to continue to eat. This IS a moral issue.

It has been said, and proven through an earlier post that provided a link with a ton of weekly specials, that whole foods is no more expensive than Johnnies. News Flash - Johnnies ain't cheap!

let the illegals decide where they want to spend EBT cards,because lets face they run this state,deval patrick is their water boy

Joseph, allow me to reiterate. This is a moral issue because if Whole Foods comes to town, my family will be forced to go without along with many other families in our town. Will we starve to death? We both know we wont. However we will be forced to spend far more a month for less groceries. When you struggle to pay rent month to month as it is, a huge spike in the cost of living is a scary thing. Is that not within reason? Who cares if its higher quality? My kids dont! And as for my grocery list? LOL! Hotdogs and beans, pork chops, spaghetti and meatballs. I dont eat out. I dont buy junk food. I MIGHT order a pizza from Jennys once a month to celebrate a big day for my kids. I dont spend this extra cash because Im a responsible man and I know I cant afford it. Maybe you think the food at Johnnies IS crap. MAYBE youre right! But I can afford it. It feeds my kids, neither of which are obese or unhealthy. Owen C, good for you. You can afford Whole Foods. Im happy for you, truly I am. I cant. Im not asking for sympathy. This is a debate over whether or not Whole Foods is right for Charlestown, correct? Or at least thats what its become. Im simply stating some reasons it is not right for Charlestown. Johnnies is the ONLY supermarket in our neighborhood (ours meaning both lifelong residents and those new to the area). We can all afford it. WF, if deal goes through, will then be the only supermarket in the neighborhood. MANY of US ( your neighbors ) cant afford it.

It's done- Johnny's to close before Nov 30! For how long?

Great news!
http://www.boston.com/businessupdates/2012/10/26/whole-foods-agrees-buy-leases-for-six-johnnie-foodmaster-locations/ZjNnbbzoK8efr3RaEH4FFL/story.html

Says they'll plan to re-open as Whole Foods by Fall 2013.

I just saw on boston.com that foodmaster will have to close by Nov 30 so that Whole foods can hope to open by the fall of 2013. What the hell are the residents of ctown supposed to do now.

Big winners- 777 and store 24. A-1 could gt an increase if they get rid of the gang in front.

Peapod works for you cool.. but everyone keeps forgetting about the elderly home behind johnnies.. low income elderly housing so I'm pretty sure they are getting food stamps, peapod is out for them. I'm sure a majority do not own a car and need walkers and wheelchairs.. oh well we're getting our whole foods so let them pay the little money they get on SSI on cabs not my problem.... SMH some people are just so inconciderate of others.. what has this world come to?

It is sad that foodmaster doesnt give a damn about the residents of Charlestown.
You can say WF isl not expensive, maybe to you who have big money coming in.
I am a senior citizen and of course who cares myself and many others have a limited income. What the hell are we supposed to do for shopping until WF opens. (which I know I will not frequent.) We need a bus to Demoulas in Chelsea for Charlestown residents who are not RICH.

Sweeet!! Trips to Stop and Shop for a year, but it will be well worth it. Cha-Ching!

please sign this petition for shuttle services to other grocery stores while johnnies is closed! Our elderly need this. http://www.change.org/petitions/new-england-development-whole-foods-market-inc-to-provide-shuttles-to-other-grocerery-stores-and-temporary-job-placements