Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Whole Foods Market opened its doors Wednesday morning at its new 35,000-square-foot store in the Sonoma Marketplace shopping mall on W. Napa Street and Second Street East.
“What a grand opportunity to be opening a new store in one of the country’s greatest agricultural and viticultural areas,” said Anthony Gilmore, Whole Foods Market’s president of the Northern California region.
The store will feature products from local vendors and farmers including Vella Cheese, Basque Bakery, Artisan Bakery, Greenstring Farm, Wine Country Pasta, and 300 brands of wine, including Gundlach Bundschu and Benziger Family Winery.
Events planned for the grand opening included live music, a raffle for a $500 gift basket, and appearances by chef Paul Bertolli and by Sonoma Mayor Stanley Cohen and city councilmembers, A Whole Foods press release stated that the new store will add 135 jobs to the Sonoma area; other Sonoma County stores are in Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sebastopol.
