Business & Tech

VIDEO TOUR: Whole Foods Market JP

Take a quick video tour of Whole Foods Market, which opens Wednesday at 8 a.m.

Whole Foods Market Jamaica Plain opens on Wednesday at 8 a.m. On Saturday, the grocer gave media tours of the store, which is in the final stages of being prepared to open.

This video tour is conducted by Jennifer Licht, marketing team leader for the store. She says she'll be bike commuting to the store from her family's home near English High.

A few highlights from the tour, some of which aren't in the video:

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  • The store is 13,700 square feet, making it a bit smaller than the Whole Foods Market in Brighton.
  • Store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
  • The store employs 104 full and part-time workers.
  • There are 68 parking spots, 15 bike racks and they plan to install a vehicle charging station and bike repair station.
  • This is a "commuter store" for employees, but the store is leasing some parking at the nearby MSPCA for employees.
  • The store will offer prepared foods like pizza and panini from a "chef-run" on site kitchen.
  • There is also a salad bar and hot bar.
  • The store's in-house baked goods come from a Whole Foods bake house in Medford.
  • Local items the store carries, such as JP-based Batch Ice Cream, will be pointed out on the navigational signs along each aisle.
  • The store's look is based on the "Googie" architecture of the iconic clock on the building's roof.
  • The murals on the front and back of the store have been retained. The one on the back, an homage to the Taino culture of the Caribbean, has been restored through a partnership with the mayor's office.
  • Fish for the store is sourced primarily through Pigeon Cove in Gloucester.
  • In the video tour and done on Saturday, highly perishable items have not been set out yet, though some fruits and packaged meats are already on display.
  • There are employees of the working at the JP Whole Foods and at other nearby Whole Foods. Licht did not have an exact headcount on Saturday.
  • Whole Foods has either promised or already donated $40,000 to various JP causes, including a salad bar at the .
  • The store holds regular "5 Percent Days," in which, according to the Whole Foods web site, 5 percent of that day’s net sales are donated to a local nonprofit or educational organization. The first one at the JP store is Nov. 15, and proceeds help JP-based .

Other media also took tours today, including local bloggers and Facebook page managers. Here are links to their photos and posts:

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