Whole Foods Market Opens in Charlestown

The new Charlestown Whole Foods Market opened to a crowd of eager shoppers Wednesday afternoon, nearly nine months since Johnnie’s Foodmaster closed its doors at the very same site.

The store, located at 51 Austin St. in the Bunker Hill Mall, hosted a bread breaking ceremony shortly before the official 10 a.m. opening, where company and community leaders gave a few remarks before ceremoniously pulling apart a long loaf of freshly baked bread.

“We’re really excited to be here. The Charlestown community has been incredible with reaching out to us before and making us feel welcome,” Whole Foods North Atlantic Region President Laura Derba said. “Kim, the store team leader, and Marty, the ASTL [assistant store team leader], have done an incredible job putting the store team together. We have amazing, passionate team members inside that you are all going to get to meet and build relationships with. It’s really important for us to be the community market in Charlestown.”

Charlestown Neighborhood Council chairman Tom Cunha said he had worked with many corporations over the years that talked about being a community partner and that Whole Foods Market was “truly a community neighbor”—particularly in their efforts to recruit, train and hire employees in Charlestown.

“It’s a big thing for Charlestown to have a supermarket back. We’ve been waiting long enough,” Cunha said. “On behalf of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council and my neighbors and friends, welcome and good luck.”

District 1 Boston City Council Sal LaMattina also spoke at the opening, thanking Whole Foods for investing in the community.

“This is a great day for Charlestown. For a few months we did not have a supermarket and it was a big concern for our neighborhood,” LaMattina said. “I’m very excited that we have a first class supermarket now in Charlestown.”

The new store employs about 150 full- and part-time team members and is the company’s 25th location in Massachusetts. The store offers a variety of high quality natural and organic grocery and body care products, fresh produce, seafood, a butcher shop, bakery, European cheese room, juice and coffee bar, sushi counter and extensive prepared foods section. The store also features seven signature Charlestown-themed sandwiches and eventually will have tables and seating in the front of the store.

The new store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Charlestown Chamber of Commerce president Abby Gray said the opening of Whole Foods Market “is another key step in growing a vibrant retail business community in Charlestown.”

“There is no argument that many good, long-standing, businesses are operating out of Charlestown. However, there is a great need for more retail establishments in City Square and along Main Street and Bunker Hill Street. The Charlestown Chamber of Commerce, and I, as a business owner, are thrilled to welcome a corporation that is community focused,” Gray said in an official statement.

She said that Whole Foods’ marketing manager had already reached out to many businesses in the area.

READ MORE:

>> Video: Charlestown Whole Foods Market Opens with Bread Breaking

>> Video: Opening day visitors share thoughts on new store 

>> 7 Things You Might Not Know About Whole Foods

>> Take a video tour of the new Charlestown Whole Foods Market

>> Patch chats with Store Team Leader Kim Hall