Olathe’s new Whole Foods Market offers a sneak peek

On Sunday, Olathe’s new Whole Foods Market will open its doors so consumers can have a look inside.

They’ll get to see new-to-the-metro features like The Lone Elm Taproom, the Wheel Good Donuts doughnut cart, and a poutine bar serving french fries and sweet potato fries with toppings.

But they won’t be able to shop just yet. The 37,000-square-foot store, in the Olathe Pointe Shopping Center at 14615 W. 119th St., doesn’t open for business until 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Whole Foods Market, based in Austin, Texas, has annual sales of about $14 billion and currently has 414 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Sunday’s Olathe tour will include several areas of note:

▪ The Lone Elm Taproom, seating 50 people, will have a dozen local craft beers on tap, 3 wines on tap, and a full pub menu developed by Whole Foods Market chefs. It will feature bar stools made from springs found at an oil rig in Kansas and wood paneling from reclaimed beetle-killed ash trees.

From 4 to 5 p.m. Satudays, the taproom will host a “Meet the Maker” event featuring representatives from local breweries. The taproom also has an enclosed patio seating 50 to 70 people.

▪ A dining area running along the front of the store has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a patio. The dining area features a wooden floor made from the former gym floor of Dekalb High School in Dekalb, Mo.

▪ An in-house smoker for smoking meats, cheeses and seafood on-site.

▪ Full-service coffee bar, a taqueria, sandwich station, pizza station, sushi hand-rolled in-house, and chef’s special with a rotating menu.

▪ A smoothies and fresh juice bar with 50 different choices. If that’s not enough, consumers can select fresh fruits from the produce department and have the bar whip up a customized creation.

▪ Wider aisles to accommodate families.

▪ An expanded essential oils and aromatherapy aisle where customers can customize their body products and cleansers; expanded organic cotton clothing and accessories section; and expanded garden center.

This week, three Kansas artists and three from out of state were working on more than 400 chalkboard displays that will dot the store. One set of signs highlight local vendors with the words “I’m a local” and a bright orange tractor. They include Dolce Bakery, Farm to Market Bread Co., Indigo Wild, Campo Lindo Farms, Shatto Milk Co., Soy-Sen-Zay, and BoysGrow. Local beers also will be used to flavor brats.

Sunday’s sneak peek in Olathe runs from 9 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. and includes tours of the store, free samples and children’s activities. Six local food trucks also will set up outside with live music. More than 1,000 people have already reserved tour passes but Whole Foods will take walk-ups.

The store is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Opening day/Earth Day activities will include seed planting for children, gardening for adults, and a beekeeping demonstration.

Hours will then be 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Whole Foods Market, which was founded in 1978, has two Overland Park locations. Another Whole Foods location is set to anchor a development near the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

This story was originally published April 17, 2015 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Olathe’s new Whole Foods Market offers a sneak peek."