ENGLEWOOD — Residents who visited a new Englewood Whole Foods Wednesday said they were impressed with the store's offerings and prices, and said having the store in the middle of their neighborhood marked a "new day" for the community.
Phyllis Curry said she's "so happy" to have Whole Foods in her community. She's lived in Englewood for 14 years and has had to commute outside the neighborhood to get her groceries. Usually she would go to the Food 4 Less on 87th Street.
But the new store is only a 10-minute trip from her home, which is much more convenient, she said.
She said the food seemed far more fresh at Whole Foods than at other stores she has shopped in. The prices also stood out to her, but in a good way.
“Everything is priced so well, so hopefully they stay this way,” Curry said. “People here live on fixed incomes so the prices need to stay reasonable.”
Phyllis Curry is an Englewood resident. [DNAinfo/Andrea Watson]
Another local shopper, Tina Hammond, is a Resident Association of Englewood member, which had a role in helping bring Whole Foods to the community, and educating residents about it.
Hammond, who runs a home daycare, said she understands the importance of healthy foods and she makes sure the children she cares for are fed healthy meals.
She said that many of the children don’t like vegetables and fruits because they are used to eating foods like chicken nuggets.
"This is just something we needed; it's long overdue,” Hammond said.
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She bought chicken salad after being given a sample of it: "It might be pricey, but it's delicious."
George Lyke, of Englewood, said the store marked a milestone for the community.
"It's a new day in Englewood and I'm ecstatic," Lyke said. "It's been a long time coming, and I'm just trusting that this event, this celebration, will be part of the turnaround that Englewood so desperately needs."
Bronzeville resident Kendell Walcon said the store could be the beginning of a transformation for the community.
"This is something that Englewood needed,” he said. “It kind of gives a different feel to the neighborhood. I know I'll be back.”
One thing that he liked was a station that allowed customers to bottle water themselves. He said he had never seen anything like it before.
"Everything's so organized ... and it's wonderful," he said. "This store, it just kind of has a different feel."
Tiffany McDowell, a South Shore resident who works in Englewood, said there's a Whole Foods in Hyde Park that's slightly closer to her, but she likes the community at the Englewood store.
"I just like the sense of community here, and I appreciate that this is an opportunity for the community to grow, and hopefully we can continue, so I want to support" the store, she said.
She was specifically looking out for the products made by local vendors. She had picked up a facial spray from B.O. Essentials, of Hammond, Ind.
"I got to sample some of the products, and then the team member in the store was really helpful with explaining what everything was and helped me pick the right product," she said.
"I love that aspect. I think that's really important, especially [supporting] black-owned businesses."
Starbucks also opened its first Englewood store Wednesday.
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