Early Projections for Whole Foods Downtown L.A.

As you may have already read over on The Informer, Whole Foods will be setting up a downtown Los Angeles location at 770 S. Grand Avenue by 2015. For well-heeled downtown denizens, this is likely welcome news, given a common complaint of the lack of grocery options, such that weekend jaunts to Trader Joe's in Silver Lake or Hollywood are often in order. (And yes, we know this is the kind of #FirstWorldProblem that garners neither sympathy nor good will among neighbors facing more immediate issues with the overall rise of basic living costs.) This also may be positive news for the hyper-local economy, as the new store will bring in 200 new jobs.

Though it's early, we contacted Whole Foods for more information on what can be expected of the upcoming market. According to Erica Dubreuil, a spokeswoman for the Austin-based chain, this will include “the best quality organic and natural products, including an amazing selection of prepared foods including pizzas, raw foods, salads, etc.”

If you've been to at least two or three Whole Foods Market across L.A., you'll have discovered that there are quite a few differences in set-up. On how the location in downtown will differ in food options from, say, Venice, Dubreuil says, “Because each of the stores is specifically geared to serving the community it is in, we'll need to connect with our customer base and find out what they are looking for before we make decisions about exactly what kinds of venues the store will have. Our Venice customers wanted raw foods, so we fulfilled that need. We will do the same in downtown L.A.” Downtown residents: This means that now is the time to pipe up about your grocery store wishlist.

Whole Foods may have a reputation for being more expensive (see: the nickname “Whole Paycheck”), but a comparative shopping trip done by the Boston Globe revealed that isn't always the case. For The Billfold, Eve O'Neill came to the conclusion that the price difference isn't as significant as she had believed.

And in related news:

– Whole Foods Coming to Downtown L.A.

– New Grand Central Market Additions: Gelato, Breakfast Burgers + Wood-Fired Pizza

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