Whole Foods Market opens its second Milwaukee-area location Wednesday in a 47,563-square foot space that is the latest phase of the Mayfair Collection, 11100 W. Burleigh St., in Wauwatosa.
This phase also includes a Verlo Mattress showroom and a Home Goods store. Earlier phases, completed over the past couple years, have included shops like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx and Ulta Beauty, as well as restaurants like Pizza Man, Osgood’s and Corner Bakery. More shops, restaurants and more than 1,000 luxury apartments are still planned for the development, located just east of Highway 45.
Whole Foods' first area location, on Prospect and North Avenues, opened in September 2006 in a 55,000-square foot space in the Prospect Medical Commons building. A third Wisconsin location is in Madison. The new shop expects to hire about 120 employees.
Though it has a smaller footprint, the new store has wider aisles and feels more spacious. In addition to the expected – bulk foods, wine and beer, groceries, a butcher shop, a made-to-order burger bar, a cheese shop, a full bakery, health and beauty, flowers, salad and hot bars, etc. – the Tosa location will also include a number of features that differ from the East Side shop.
Those include a self-serve pizza station, a cafe that serves custard, bacon and sausages made in-house, meat and fish smoked in-house, a sandwich station with iPads for placing orders, a juice bar that serves Farmstand Freeze – a house-made healthy sno-cone-like treat made from fresh fruit and vegetables – the "Tosa Tavern" with more than 20 beers on tap, and the first brick and mortar W3II People cosmetics retailer in the Midwest.
There will be an outdoor seating area with a firepit to cut the chill on cool nights and bike racks installed at the curb (it'll be interesting to see if Tosans are willing to face the racing traffic on Burleigh on two wheels).
A "Bread-Breaking Ceremony" at 8:45 a.m. will take place Wednesday, and the store will officially open at 9. The first 500 customers will get a gift card ranging between $5 and $50. One card will carry $500 in WFM credit.
"At Whole Foods Market, we have a deep passion for fresh, flavorful natural and organic foods and we are elated to open a store for the Wauwatosa and surrounding communities," said Whole Foods Market Wauwatosa store team leader, Ted Beres, in a statement.
"Whether looking for high-quality meats and poultry or everyday pantry staples, residents from the health conscious to devoted food enthusiasts will find what they’re looking for. We strongly believe that food in its purest state – free of artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, colorings and trans fat – is the best tasting and most nutritious food available."
Here's a sneak peek.
1. Coffee ... and the only Midwest WFM with frozen custard
2. More than 400 beers in bottles and cans
3. More than 150 items in bulk
4. It's Wisconsin, right? So more than 200 cheeses
5. Pads offer easy ordering at the Cookshack
6. The only Midwest location serving Farmstand Freeze treats
7. Fish smoked on the premises
8. The meat smoker is right out in front
9. Buy a bar of soap and Pacha donates one to folks in need
10. The Tosa Tavern has more than 20 beers on tap and plenty of seating
11. Staff is busy stocking shelves
12. Wonderfully wide aisles
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
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