I think people can figure out that "WHOLEFOODSMARKET" means Whole Foods Market. It's not like people are going to be like, "what's Who Lef Ood Smar Ket?" I think it's fine either way...

http://www.treehugger.com/whole-foods-health-care-scandal.jpg
Looks like it will stay that way Pete.

It's not that big a deal to me so either way is good. :-)

Yeah, I saw a few of these when I googled... I guess the alignment is intentional.

that sign fits in horrible with the rest of the building. You would think they would have done a better job of making it fit.

I think it's hard to make green and white fit with most natural building materials. Were it me, I'd change the color of my logo, but I'm not a fan of that color green at all, so it may be my bias.

I know it's their registered logo, but it does look somewhat out-of-place. A nice Century Gothic font - even in green - would have fit better IMO. Sorry, that is just the graphic design degree that I don't use talking.

On the other hand, it is basically a grocery store and most of us don't give a moment's thought to grocery signage.

I know it's their registered logo, but it does look somewhat out-of-place. A nice Century Gothic font - even in green - would have fit better IMO. Sorry, that is just the graphic design degree that I don't use talking.

True, BUT your graphic design degree would also understand brand standards and the need to not change the logo depending on building

I know it's their registered logo, but it does look somewhat out-of-place. A nice Century Gothic font - even in green - would have fit better IMO. Sorry, that is just the graphic design degree that I don't use talking.

What? In graphic design school they taught you to ditch the corporate branding based on building materials? Where did you go to school?

graphic design vs marketing - I do both and give more to branding then design tho some branding has bad design the brand is $$ good design fades.

As Betts said, when was the last time someone discussed if a Crest sign fit the building? Or if a golden arch fit the new design of McDonalds....it's a sign folks.

True but when was the last time we saw a grocery store that was bricked in nothing but stone.


They spent alot of money on this construction to make it look upscale. The giant sign doesn't fit with it.

The point is, the sign fits the store. It doesn't have to fit the store's building.

If you saw an Arby's sign on a barn looking structure, you'd know it's an Arby's. same for the golden arches. If you slap one on the side of a wally world, kiddos and their rents know their be happy meals somewhere inside that big ugly WM box. Slap up a specific font with green and white and mush it together on an upscale food store, and someone used to that will see it jump out at them.

Are you guys really arguing over the sign. Really?

Lets get back to something more important. They open in 8 days! I am not going to lie. I am excited. I am looking forward to the amazing deli, soups!!!!, amazing fresh food selection, pretentious shoppers, gluten free ingredients, and more food selections!

I feel bad for Crescent Market, but I know they have options to move to downtown or Mid-Town. I wish the best for them!

I actually really like the sign, it's just at first the word spacing seemed weird. The original rendering showed a much smaller sign along the top of that arch but I like this better.

And yes, it opens a week from tomorrow! There is simply nothing like it in OKC and for those not familiar with the concept, you are going to be blown away. A good portion of the store will feature prepared foods; it's as much a restaurant as a market.

And they have certainly done an excellent job with the design and construction. Looking forward to seeing lots of people sitting out on the patio and enjoying the setting.

Has anyone heard of a possible Whole Foods soft opening prior to its grand opening? Just curious.

. . . their WF OKC FB page has opening specials. . . hearth fired pizza on Thursday, 13 and 20 Oct. Can't wait!!

Super excited, but this area is going to a disaster zone for the first few weeks. I'm expecting the same kind of annoying traffic/too crowded headaches as the outlet shoppes opening.

Nevermind

Has anyone heard of a possible Whole Foods soft opening prior to its grand opening? Just curious.

Doubt it, it's not a restaurant, it's a solid national brand. I imagine they will do just fine

They have started to stack some seasonal stuff near the entrance and they've set up tables and chairs in the outdoor eating area:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wf100511.jpg

And the direct mail has begun: they sent me a card today.

Same here

Got coupons in the mail for free stuff at Whole Foods.
Including salmon!
The coupons have an expiration date.
About two weeks out.

The date and time probably align exactly with the moment that the line in front of me ends.
Along with the salmon. And the promo.

Somehow, Mass Mailed Coupons and UpScale Shopping Experience don't coexist comfortably.
Not even at Classen Curve. At least in my mind.

I hope the OKCPD has prescheduled the available traffic control resources. =)

Got coupons in the mail for free stuff at Whole Foods.
Including salmon!
The coupons have an expiration date.
About two weeks out.

The date and time probably align exactly with the moment that the line in front of me ends.
Along with the salmon. And the promo.

Somehow, Mass Mailed Coupons and UpScale Shopping Experience don't coexist comfortably.
Not even at Classen Curve. At least in my mind.

I hope the OKCPD has prescheduled the available traffic control resources. =)

Will ABLE agents be there with a bunch of health and fire inspectors? It could be disconcerting to shoppers looking for granola.

Well . . .
That's just the price one has to pay for progress.
Right? =)

Frankly, I am looking forward to seeing the future "leverage" applied by Mega-Conglomerates Acting in Concert regarding resolution of the antique (boneheaded) (ref. PBS Documentary) "wine in grocery stores" vs. "local liquor distribution mafia" . . .

Trust me: Read that over again, and I am confident that you will not only understand it but will also agree with my point. =)

Here is a article about the new Whole Foods.

http://newsok.com/excitement-builds-in-oklahoma-city-as-opening-of-whole-foods-market-nears/article/3611048?custom_click=headlines_widget


Here is some lame pictures.

http://newsok.com/excitement-builds-in-oklahoma-city-as-opening-of-whole-foods-market-nears/multimedia/photos/gallery/3611048/1/1530349

Also from the Oklahoman:

http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/1530351/gallery_large?recordView=0

http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/1530349/gallery_large?recordView=0

http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/1530350/gallery_large?recordView=0

We can see the stained concrete floors that we talked about forever. lol

They have electronic price tags. Brilliant!

Here's a screen capture from the Oklahoman video:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wf100711.jpg

Exciting!

the last big questions is anything upstairs besides offices and what is at the back right of the store.

Definitely looks great with all the pumpkins out front.

Doubt it, it's not a restaurant, it's a solid national brand. I imagine they will do just fine

Actually, there is going to be a soft opening. It's by invitation only.

Went to the Whole Foods in Austin on 6th St. in the last few days and it's just ridiculous with its variety and prepared food options...and probably sets my expectations way too high for the OKC store, but here's hoping that it's comparable.

I've only been to one other WF in Orange County, CA area so I don't know if that particular Austin store is in a league of its own, or if they're usually that awesome.

I've only been to one other WF in Orange County, CA area so I don't know if that particular Austin store is in a league of its own, or if they're usually that awesome.

It's in a league of its own. It's their flagship with the corporate HQ in the floors above.

It's in a league of its own. It's their flagship with the corporate HQ in the floors above.
It is also their primary test market store so there are always things going on there before they hit any other store. They have built some others about the same size (around 80,000 sf) and the new one in The Domain (replacing the current Gateway store in North Austin) is around the same but most new stores are a similar size to the one in OKC. The other new locations in Austin are going to be close to that format and not the large format. The relocated store in The Domain currently under construction was designed when they were doing the 80,000 sf stores as a standard.

Opening day and parking lot is already completely full.

I'm not going for a week, and even then I'm going to wait for an off time and day.

I think I'll wait a few days too. Even though I'm thrilled they are here, I can't imagine there's anything I need so badly that it would be worth fighting the crowds that undoubtedly will be there.

You could see on the webcam that people were lining up at 7:30 for the 8AM opening.

From today's ad, details on some of the features of this particular location:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wfservices.jpg

If I go tonight, I'll take pics and report back.

I went today (around 3:00 PM) and it was packed. Good selection, lots of free samples. The checkout lines weren't too bad and it took me maybe only 3-4 minutes to check out at the coffee bar. I've only been to one other in Allex, TX and it seems comparable.

What is in the back right corner? Is there a easy way to see upstairs or is it hidden corporate offices.

HOLY CRAP! Packed is an understatement... We just got back from a quick visit there and the selection is incredible. The meats, cheeses, and baked goods sections were especially yummy looking. We were literally elbow-to-elbow the entire time. We spotted Aubrey McClendon shopping and Desmond Mason picking up some goodies there as well. No photos unfortunately...

Awesome store! My wife and I went at around 5:30pm. It was packed! Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The golf carts were still running to usher people into the overflow parking lots. The ambiance of the store is very bright and open. I love the look. It reminded my of an open industrial loft. We spent a little over a hundred dollars... mainly on meats and cheeses. My wife is a cheese nut! We got a bunch of skewers, salmon burgers, steaks and shrimp. We'll primarily use Whole Foods as our butcher and get the rest of our staples at Sunflower. It's very similar(but more modern in terms of appearance) to their other stores we've frequented in SoCal, but it just seemed like a "bigger deal" today. Meaning, the rat race mentality wasn't to be found. Really seemed like people were shopping and enjoying themselves. Glad it's finally open.

A friend of mine who's working there said that his department doubled projected sales. Sounds like a BIG success.

I made it there late last night before closing. It was kind of weird. I have been to whole foods all over the west coast and Texas, so actually being able to buy the meat and cheeses and take them home felt weird! I am sure next time I will buy more.

Did anybody see if they had rainbarrels for sale?

Did anybody see if they had rainbarrels for sale?

Yes....they were located outside, on the west side of the main front doors.

You could see via the webcam that by 9PM the crowds had really thinned. If you really want to go, I would suggest getting there between 9-10PM, at least for a while.

Gorgeous photo of the team:

http://hphotos-iad1.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/314410_10150409681951488_24922591487_10690857_8514 9377_n.jpg

You could see via the webcam that by 9PM the crowds had really thinned. If you really want to go, I would suggest getting there between 9-10PM, at least for a while.

I second this recommendation. I went around 9:15 last night and while there was still a good crowd there, enough had left that I was able to get a prime parking spot and there was room to look around. I did all of my shopping at Sunflower after 9 during its first month too and it's resulted in crowd free shopping. Even during its first week, things slowed down after 9.

Hopefully the success of this store leads them to open another on the south side of the metro, likely Norman.

Noticed one small hiccup with the store setup. Shoppers that enter the store on the east side entrance have no access to shopping carts. I watched a young lady become baffled doing a complete 360 while looking for a cart.

I doubt OKC gets a second store for a long time. If they do it will go in the NW area of town (Edmund). I couldn't see Norman ever getting one.

Noticed one small hiccup with the store setup. Shoppers that enter the store on the east side entrance have no access to shopping carts. I watched a young lady become baffled doing a complete 360 while looking for a cart.

Most of their stores are lset up like this, it's fine. That side of the store is the hot food and also designed for chefs to grab a few quick things like cheeses and get out quick. They have shopping baskets on that side instead of carts. I went last night at 9pm and it was very busy, but as someone stated they have it well run and lines move very quickly.


Charger, I bet you we get another one sooner rather than later, including Norman.