Whole Foods will open its East Liberty location to the public on Aug. 10, the company announced Thursday.
The new 54,667-square-foot store at Penn Plaza will replace the Austin, Texas-based grocer’s East Liberty location on Centre Avenue and add over 20,000 square feet of floor space.
The natural foods grocery chain opened its original East Liberty store in 2002, helping spark development in the neighborhood. The Texas-based chain, which was acquired by Seattle retail giant Amazon in 2017, now has three stores in the Pittsburgh region.
Now an anchor tenant of Penn Plaza, Whole Foods previously backed off on its plans to join the complex after owner LG Realty displaced more than 200 residents to make way for the redevelopment. The redevelopment sparked an outcry over decreasing affordable housing options in Pittsburgh’s East End and a three-year battle between the real estate company and the city.
Whole Foods reentered its agreement with LG Realty in April 2019.
In its grand opening plans, the company is working hard to promote its local connections.
A statement by Whole Foods said the new store’s design is “inspired by Pittsburgh bridges” — that means arches and a lot of steel rods — and features a custom mural of the city.
Customers who stop by the grand opening will have free samples from local producers Steel Cup Coffee Roasters of New Kensington and Zaza’s Biscotti of Wexford, as well as from New Jersey-based Severino Pasta. There will also be gift card giveaways and specially branded Whole Foods Market East Liberty totes for some customers.
As in the previous location, local brands will be on display. Shoppers can pick up macarons by Squirrel Hill-based Gaby et Jules at the pastry counter, salad kits by local vertical-farming startup Fifth Season in produce, and craft beers from Mt. Lebanon’s Hitchhiker Brewing — among many others.
The store will have a beer-and-wine shop, a bakery, butcher-equipped meat counter, coffee bar, prepared foods station, and a “Whole Body” section featuring beauty and lifestyle products.
Noelle Mateer: nmateer@post-gazette.com
First Published: July 21, 2022, 7:51 p.m.
Updated: July 22, 2022, 12:30 p.m.
