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Cars circled around the Gallatin Valley Mall parking lot Wednesday morning, searching for a parking space in front of Whole Foods Market on its opening day.
The first Whole Foods in Montana opened to an eager crowd on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Nearly 50 people lined up beforehand to make sure they’d be the first customers to walk through the doors.
The store greeted customers — some who got in line as early as 6:30 a.m. — with a DJ set, gift cards for the first 250 shoppers, and coffee and hot chocolate from the Treeline Coffee Roasters store inside.
As of Wednesday, the store has employed around 130 people and filled its shelves with over 75 made-in-Montana brands, said Whole Foods spokesperson Rachel Malish. It also has a 40-foot-long beer fridge, including offerings from Montana breweries.
Customers perused the features of the new store, including carefully stacked produce and a hot bar serving Indian food and soups, among other lunch staples.
As of about 11 a.m., the checkout line wrapped around the aisles.
“This is such a wonderful turnout,” said Kate Hensley Luna, team lead for the Bozeman store. “The customers are so friendly and excited.”
Hensley Luna said she got to the store Wednesday at 4 a.m. to prepare for the busy day. She’s been with Whole Foods for 11 years, and has lived in several places working for the company — but she’s had her eye on moving to Bozeman for a decade.
Admiring the view of the Bridgers visible through the store’s windows, Hensley Luna said she was excited this was her new home.
While several people with leadership positions transferred from other places to the Bozeman store, the majority of employees were already living here, Hensley Luna said.
For some customers, Wednesday marked the first time they had ventured into a Whole Foods store.
Bozemanites Kate Forrest and her 11-year-old daughter Ellie sat at the lunch tables inside the store, snacking on soup and blackberries. Kate had the lentil soup, while Ellie tried broccoli cheddar.
Both mother and daughter admired the displays of produce and other foodstuffs, saying all the work put into the display was impressive.
“They found a way to make radishes look beautiful,” Kate said.
The Whole Foods store is at 2905 W. Main St and will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misspelled the names of Rachel Malish and Kate Hensley Luna.
Dining and Cooking