Crowds Swarm To Gowanus As Whole Foods Opens On Third & 3rd

It may have taken ten years, but Gowanus officially has their Whole Foods Market.

“I still dream of Gowanus one day becoming the mini Venice of Brooklyn, but with Whole Foods, we can well become a mini mecca of mangia,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, as he declared today Brooklyn Whole Foods Market Third and 3rd Day.

“There is an old saying,” Markowitz continued, “‘man and woman does not live by bread alone,’ and that’s why there’s Whole Foods. For all the organic, artisanal, local, ethical, hand-crafted, hormone free, grass-fed, free-range, sustainable, eco-friendly, gluten free, rooftop hydroponic grown, cruelty free food that you could ever dream of.”

During the speeches, Whole Foods Regional President Christina Minardi surprised Markowitz with a plaque that will hang near the entrance of the store, thanking him for his work as borough president.

While the ceremony was lovely, folks were really there to explore the store. After the official “bread breaking,” Whole Foods Gowanus opened,

and the crowds swarmed through the automatic doors.

Customers were immediately greeted with brightly colored fruits,

and fresh veggies.

The guys at the seafood counter had a pep rally rocking the back of the market. ”How much are those lobster tails?” “TWO FOR TEN!” “How much?” “TWO FOR TEN!”

It didn’t take long for shoppers to start filling their baskets. Alison Lawrence, whose kids attend school about two blocks away from the new Whole Foods, said that she’s excited to have some new shopping options.

“Because we have three kids,” she told us, “we rely a lot on Fresh Direct, which gets a little tedious after a while, and it’s not as competitively priced as it used to be.”

Looking to kick it old school with some vinyl? There’s a counter for that.

Employees across the store were smiling from ear to ear.

We were smiling, too, when we discovered this majestic wall of beer.

Three words: French toast oatmeal. Mmmmmmmmmm.

We’ve been dreaming about you our whole lives, bacon, egg, and cheese pizza.

There were a number of hot food selections that will change throughout the day (for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

The coffee counter is up front near the bakery,

but you won’t want to miss the epic coffee grinder at the back of the store (near the seafood counter).

Knives getting dull? Leave them at the sharpening counter while you do your shopping, and pick them up when you’re finished.

Up on the second floor are a number of seating options (in case you don’t want to cart your bacon, egg, and cheese pizza home),

and The Roof, an indoor/outdoor (though you probably wouldn’t want to sit out there today) bar.

Overall, we were impressed with Whole Foods Gowanus. We want to hear from you, though! Have you had a chance to stop by yet? What did you think?

Whole Foods Gowanus is located at 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street. Hours are 8am to 11pm, 7 days a week