Whole Foods in Norman?

[MDot]

Back to topic though, Where would Whole Foods go if they did come to Norman?

Personally, I'd like to see one go in UNP. Probably a pipe dream, though.

[rcjunkie]

Wasn't Sunflower Market supposed to occupy the former Hobby Lobby/OU architecture location on Main? I don't see any activity related to Sunflower market there. I wonder if they decided the Norman market was already at the upper limits? I would be very surprised if WF came to Norman although I would love it.

The Sunflower market is going to open in the old Hobby Lobby location, they have been working on the interior of said building for at least the past 3 weeks.

[BoulderSooner]

The Sunflower market is going to open in the old Hobby Lobby location, they have been working on the interior of said building for at least the past 3 weeks.

by the time it opens I think it will be called sprouts

[onthestrip]

Apparently you have never consorted with people such as players, coaches and others who take their football seriously. Not all at OU avoid them by any means but I do know plenty of OU people who won’t buy a Dell product and other products from Austin based enterprises…. You need to get out more and out of the Stillwater strip mind set because it actually happens a lot.

Yet these are probably the same people who buy an officially licensed Longhorn sticker to turn upside down on their car.

Sorry, but to avoid businesses that are based out your rival schools city is just absurd. That's when you know you let college football run too much of your life.

[Soonerman]

Yet these are probably the same people who buy an officially licensed Longhorn sticker to turn upside down on their car.

Sorry, but to avoid businesses that are based out your rival schools city is just absurd. That's when you know you let college football run too much of your life.

This

[ou48A]

Yet these are probably the same people who buy an officially licensed Longhorn sticker to turn upside down on their car.

Sorry, but to avoid businesses that are based out your rival schools city is just absurd. That's when you know you let college football run too much of your life.

None of the OU fans that I know who won’t buy Austin based products aren’t about to buy a Longhorn sticker and put it upside down because they know that UT receives a royalty from the sale of such merchandise. Doing what you suggested would be hypocritical.
Again you need to get out more and discover there are normal people who have more passion for their sport than you know. While I don’t take it that far, its all part of the spectacle to enjoy. Where I draw a line is the physical fights that were once fairly common between the 2 fan basses. Things are far calmer than 30, 40, 50, 60 years ago.

[MikeLucky]

Uh
Austin > Norman

Uh
based on SOME priority scales... on others the opposite is true.

[kp73120]

I drove past Sunflower today and there is activity going on there. It appeared there was some electrical work going on on the Gray side of the building.

[Questor]

Uh
based on SOME priority scales... on others the opposite is true.

Sadly, if the priority scale is development, then Austin has all of the shops I am wanting and almost all of the ones we have talked about in the UNP thread.

Oh yeah and of course Whole Foods is headquartered in Austin.

[zachj7]

When I was at Whole Foods a few weeks ago, the cashier said that they were scouting a location in either Edmond or Norman... Too bad Edmond is where the money is... but maybe they might put one in Norman? They might attract the college crowd but probably not enough money... I really hope they open a store here... Better yet, I hope Trader Joes opens a store in OKC metro somewhere...

[G.Walker]

There is a lot of money in Norman too, a Whole Foods on the west side of town would do well...

[adaniel]

Wealth is far more concentrated in Edmond than Norman.

Edmond has 10,000 households with an income of at least 100K, while Norman has 7,000. That's excluding the areas of OKC proper assigned to Edmond zip codes. This despite the fact that there is nearly 30K more people in Norman.

I would bet money WF at least announces an Edmond/Far North OKC location in the next 18 months. Broke college kids in Norman may have "crunchy" tastes but certainly lack the funds.

[soonerliberal]

Wealth is far more concentrated in Edmond than Norman.

Edmond has 10,000 households with an income of at least 100K, while Norman has 7,000. That's excluding the areas of OKC proper assigned to Edmond zip codes. This despite the fact that there is nearly 30K more people in Norman.

I would bet money WF at least announces an Edmond/Far North OKC location in the next 18 months. Broke college kids in Norman may have "crunchy" tastes but certainly lack the funds.

Edmond's population is equally spread out as Norman. Furthermore, culturally Norman is more conducive to supporting a Whole Foods than Edmond. In the end, I imagine both cities will have one, but don't count out Norman.

Also, the "broke college kid" persona is dwindling. While OU has a significant number of non-traditional students and traditional students with limited means, those with expendable income are significant in number and are often not counted in the census numbers.

[BG918]

I don't see why there shouldn't be one in both Norman and Edmond. IMO the metro can support 3 Whole Foods' for 1.3 million people. Tulsa, with just under a million metro-wide, will have a second Whole Foods by this time next year (currently under construction).

[metro]

When I was at Whole Foods a few weeks ago, the cashier said that they were scouting a location in either Edmond or Norman... Too bad Edmond is where the money is... but maybe they might put one in Norman? They might attract the college crowd but probably not enough money... I really hope they open a store here... Better yet, I hope Trader Joes opens a store in OKC metro somewhere...

This was confirmed months ago in the main WF thread.

[rcjunkie]

Not sure when, or if Norman will get a Whole Foods, but the new Sprouts/Sunflower Market should open in a few months. I personally prefer Spouts over Whole Foods any day.

[soonerfan_in_okc]

Also, the "broke college kid" persona is dwindling. While OU has a significant number of non-traditional students and traditional students with limited means, those with expendable income are significant in number and are often not counted in the census numbers.

Exactly. I just graduated from ou (still live in norman for grad school), and I guarantee you that there are plenty of students who will shop there. Granted, they may not go and spend 350 dollars like a mother of 3, but they will buy enough to make an impact. Lots of students here at OU have plenty of money. Granted, there are those who don't, but its not like some people may think.

[zachj7]

I go there all the time and bring up friends all the time. They love it! Widh sunflower/sprouts opens soon. Would be nice to have a trader joes...

[soonerguru]

It's possible to control spending at Whole Foods. You can buy portions that fit exactly what you need, unlike other stores, where they sell "family packs" for everything. Personally, I would rather buy better stuff in smaller quantities.

Also, young folks spend more money on food, drink and entertainment per capita than any other demographic. As an OU grad, also, I can attest that there are a ton of rich kids going to school there.

[soonermike81]

It's possible to control spending at Whole Foods. You can buy portions that fit exactly what you need, unlike other stores, where they sell "family packs" for everything. Personally, I would rather buy better stuff in smaller quantities.

Also, young folks spend more money on food, drink and entertainment per capita than any other demographic. As an OU grad, also, I can attest that there are a ton of rich kids going to school there.

If you count young urban professionals as "young folks," then I agree with you. If you're just talking about college kids, then absolutely no way that is accurate. There were plenty of rich kids around when I was at OU, but I wasn't one of them and I definitely wouldn't be shopping there. In fact, I think even some of the kids that come from money would still opt or Wal-Mart, Crest, Sprouts, or whatever is available and cheaper than Whole Foods. I bet it's a small percentage of kids who come from money that get an unlimited spending account from their parents. Even rich kids need to learn to be thrifty while in college.

[u50254082]

If you count young urban professionals as "young folks," then I agree with you. If you're just talking about college kids, then absolutely no way that is accurate. There were plenty of rich kids around when I was at OU, but I wasn't one of them and I definitely wouldn't be shopping there. In fact, I think even some of the kids that come from money would still opt or Wal-Mart, Crest, Sprouts, or whatever is available and cheaper than Whole Foods. I bet it's a small percentage of kids who come from money that get an unlimited spending account from their parents. Even rich kids need to learn to be thrifty while in college.

You should spend a day or two on OU's campus and you'll see it's different.

[ShiroiHikari]

My husband works for 7-11 and he can tell you, there are quite a lot of rich college kids in Norman. There are plenty of broke ones too, but they're not all broke!

I sort of like the idea of a Whole Foods in Norman, but I also like places like Forward Foods...

[Stan Silliman]

But there are a much greater number of high income people in OKC area than in Norman.
That’s the difference.

Greater number, absolutely, and Whole Foods on the edge of Nichols Hills is geographically located near many high income households.
But, if you go by percentages of total population and driving distances to a store, then Norman compares very favorably to OKC.
Edmond may have an even greater concentration of higher income households but I suspect many Edmond folks are currently utilizing
the WF market on Western as they commute from work back to home.

[general]

Whole Foods would be hugely successful in the new shopping center. Especially with the new overpass from west Norman. There are lots of upscale people in Norman who hit up Whole Foods when they are in OKC.

[redland]

I don't expect Whole Foods to be coming to Norman any time soon. That said, I think a potential site would be in the area of NW36 and Rock Creek.