Whole Foods Market

By Nycole Sariol Downtowners, rejoice! That unrealistic New Year’s resolution you made about losing twenty pounds in three months may be realized after all! Whole Foods Market, the eponymous marketplace of all things fresh, is slated to open right off of Southeast Third Street in Downtown Miami on Wednesday, January 16th. To kick off the long-awaited inauguration befittingly, the market will host a bread breaking ceremony at 8:45 in the morning, whereby a downpour of customers will oscillate through the countless isles harboring only the freshest in natural and organic delights. The recent Downtown addition is one of four locations set to open this year and the twenty-second to open up in Florida. Exclusive Whole Foods offerings will include an in-house Sushi Maki and La Churrasqueria stations – to name a few – mirroring the schematic of other South Florida locations. Adding to the list of locally sourced produce and fresh seafood, this particular Whole Foods will be the first of its kind to open up a Jugofresh shop within its sliding doors. That’s right, health nuts – all whom fancy Chef Laszlo’s bottled concoctions can now get their juice fix on in store. No word on other Jugofresh and WFM collaborations to popping up. Parking will also be a luxury at the Downtown spot: an 140-spot garage will be designated exclusively for Whole Foods shoppers, and will be color-coated by local street artists. But here’s the real reason why you should camp outside of Whole Foods on the eve of the opening: the first five hundred customers in line will receive “mystery gift cards” of five, ten, or twenty dollars. One lucky customer will also receive the mother-load of gift cards at a value of five hundred dollars. And for anyone familiar with organic groceries and their merciless price points, that’s like hitting the jackpot!