St. Charles Whole Foods’ grand opening draws hundreds
Eager shoppers began lining up at 6 a.m. Wednesday outside the new Whole Foods Market in downtown St. Charles, ahead of the store’s grand opening ceremony.
By 8:30 a.m., a line of nearly 200 people stretched from the grocer’s front door at 300 S. Second St., around the west side of the building and south down Second Street to nearly the end of the block. During their wait, guests enjoyed a live DJ, free coffee, waffles and produce from the store.
St. Charles resident Steve Leffler was the very first customer. He arrived at 6 a.m. to secure the first spot in line, he said. As a lifelong shopper at Whole Foods, he said he’s waited years for the grocer to come to town.
“I wanted to see everything in the absolute perfect shape that it was,” Leffler said. “Everything was laid out beautifully, the produce was perfect and the staff was friendly and very helpful.”
Leffler also made the store’s first purchase: A celebratory bottle of prosecco. He said he’ll hang the receipt on his fridge until it gets framed.
Instead of a ribbon cutting, the tradition at Whole Foods grand openings is to hold a bread-breaking ceremony.
St. Charles Mayor Clint Hull joined Whole Foods executives and staff members to break bread just before 9 a.m. Customers poured into the market shortly after.
Before breaking bread, the new store’s team leader Kristi Malicoat addressed those gathered in the parking lot. She said every employee promises to serve the community like they’re family, which for her, isn’t a metaphor.
Malicoat, a St. Charles resident, got choked up addressing her family in the crowd as she spoke about how special it was to her to operate a store in town.
“I can’t even describe what this means,” Malicoat said. “Being able to open a store in the city your family lives in is absolutely incredible.”
Hull thanked Whole Foods, and credited city staff and the former city council, specifically former Mayor Lora Vitek, for their work bringing the market to St. Charles.
“This partnership is one we’re going to be very proud of for years to come,” Hull said.
Whole Foods developers purchased the former Blue Goose Market building in June 2023. Since then, the city-shared parking lot was improved, the 36,234-square-foot store gutted and remodeled to make way for the grocer.
Former Blue Goose Market owner Paul Lencioni attended Wednesday’s opening. He said he was impressed with how well the event was received and how sharp the store looked, but especially glad to see his family’s former store filled with customers again.
“Mostly, though, it warms my heart to see our town shopping for great food in our downtown again,” Lencioni said.
Leffler and his wife live just across Route 25 from the market, and were avid shoppers at Blue Goose Market before it closed. He said they’ve walked past the store almost every day for the past year in anticipation, often peeking in to see the progress.
“We’re just glad to have a neighborhood store back,” Leffler said. “You couldn’t ask for a finer grocery store to grace our St. Charles town.”
Leffler said if there was one downside to the store’s long-awaited opening, it’s that he expects the store to be very busy for the next month.
Whole Foods will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily.