Can you find the door? Whole Foods right after opening.12:15 PM: Need to see it for yourself? Don't bother trying to park. Take the Detroit Bus Company's free shuttle along Woodward.
11:15 AM: We've successfully answered one question. The wait for free lobster tail is clocking in at about 10 minutes 30 minutes.
The lobster line.
You're on your own in this line, but if you're brave enough to do your grocery shopping while dozens of people photograph you, you will be entertained with free samples while waiting in line to pay. Team Leader Larry Austin reminded us this morning during his speech that this is a store opening, after all. "I hope everyone brought their wallets!"
The cash registers.
10:15 AM: Don't think it's over yet! The parking lot is entrance in backed up down Mack Avenue, people are still in line to get into the store, and we've been told vendors will be outside the store all day giving away samples.
We'll be around all day, too, tackling big questions like: Is Detroit still a food desert? Is the Whole Foods crazy expensive? And, how long is the line to get a sample of lobster tail?
9:50 AM: The opening festivities wrapped up like any good party -- with a little crying and a lot eating.
Community Liaison Amanda Musilli shed some tears, which I hope were tears of joy, and Larry Austin said "I will ride for Whole Foods anytime."
In lieu of a ribbon cutting, Whole Foods opted for breaking a giant loaf of bread. Full disclosure: I did eat some of this bread.
9:40 AM: Once the hullabaloo died down, Store Team Leader Larry Austin came to the podium, surrounded by his entire family, to thank the business and community leaders involved in bringing Whole Foods to Midtown.
He also told us that the store's opening created 97 new jobs, 70% of which are filled by city residents.
9:11 AM: Okay that's enough.
The ceremonies officially started with Paul the Bagpipe Player playing a few tunes in the parking lot while people lined up around the building. (No, he was not wearing a kilt.) Detroit Edison Public School Academy's marching band played a few tunes, including The Temptation's "Get Ready." (One thing I can say for sure is that everyone is ready.)
We were then supposed to hear from Mayor Dave Bing and Senator Debbie Stabenow, but were unable to discern exactly what was being said because of some rather loud shouting. What's a Detroit gathering without protesters?
Two men, who appeared to be protesting genetically modified foods, yelled "You're a criminal! You're poisoning children with Monsanto!" at Senator Stabenow, Mayor Bing, and anyone that asked the two men to leave, including security guards and Whole Foods employees.
9:10 AM: I'm back from the front lines and Detroit -- we officially have a Whole Foods. I'll elaborate on the opening festivities in a moment, but with all the hype and preparation for Detroit's first chain grocery store in ages, I think we deserve to savor the moment. -- LAD
9:06 AM: While we wait for Lauren to return with a dispatch from the front, let's take a look at what others are saying about this grocery store heard 'round the world.
The Wall Street Journal breaks down the subsidy necessary for Whole Foods to land in Midtown: "The remaining $5.8 million came from state and local grants and the sale of tax credits tied to the project. The subsidies were needed because most traditional lenders remain leery of any commercial-real-estate development in the city, said Olga Stella, vice president of business development at Detroit Economic Growth Corp. which provided a $1.25 million grant."
Speaking of things that were supposed to change everything forever, Curbed grabbed a shot of the unintentionally comical cop patrolling the events on a Segway.
The Freep explains that Whole Foods has a nutritionist that will re-teach Detroit how to eat.
Public Radio's Marketplace finds a Midtown resident who is excited by Whole Foods arrival but at the same time concerned some Detroiters can't afford to shop there. We can call this person Every Midtowner Ever.
8:57 AM: We are just a couple minutes away from the store officially opening and changing Detroit forever. Also, dozen or so people who've been lined up since like 7:00 AM can finally buy some tomatoes. Or, who are we kidding, everyone goes to Whole Foods to buy tomatoes but what most people buy are the organic cookies-and-cream ice cream and fair trade cheese puffs.
8:47 AM: The Whole Foods wifi is still getting its sea legs so Lauren and I have split up. Right now, I've set up camp in the Starbucks--say what you will about Starbucks but their wifi is bulletproof--and she's at the festivities. When she has something to report, we'll switch off. Maybe this isn't a true live blog, but a tape-delay blog is still better than nothing. Technology, amirite?
8:40 AM: Let me tell you just how much we aren't kidding about the significance of this event. The rabbi who provided the pre-grand opening invocation literally told the crowd that he moved his family to the city because there was a Whole Foods coming. Then he explained that Whole Foods wasn't simply going to provide useful goods and services to a community but it will help--he was vague as to how--launch other Detroit businesses and give back. This may be our valhalla. -- JTW
8:32 AM: When former Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams spoke at last year’s Mackinac Policy Conference, he didn’t talk about his city’s turnaround, nor the successes and failures of the Control Board restructuring process he led, nor any lessons learned from overpaying to lure the Montreal Expos to the nation’s capital. Instead, he talked about how great it was when a Whole Foods opened in DC.
Today, Detroit gets its own Whole Foods. Based on the build-up and the bagpipe and politician grand opening set to begin in just a few minutes, it’s clear that Official Detroit shares Mayor Williams’ enthusiasm for all things Whole Foods.
If I may borrow Joan Baez’s hyperbole: Kids, this is your generation’s $5/day Model T job. Only it’s more awesome because it’s organic.
Assuming the Wifi holds—and that’s a big if—we’ll live blog the grand opening/ribbon-cutting festivities when they begin at 8:40.
It’s a new day in Detroit. And there will be free samples. -- JTW
