Sneak Peek: New Inman Square Whole Foods

The new Somerville Whole Foods, at 45 Beacon St., is set to open on Sept. 4 with a "bread breaking" ceremony.

The supermarket will serve the Inman Square neighborhood, and on Thursday it was filled with workers scrambling to put finishing touches on the space.

We got a sneak peek tour, and you can take a look at the photos above. You can also watch a short video in which Mike Walker, the store's team leader, introduces the market.

For those who used to shop at the old Johnnie's Foodmaster, which formerly occupied the space, the fist thing you'll notice is the Whole Foods isn't carpeted.

The space has a completely new look. It includes a burrito bar, a pizza and panini counter, bulk food dispensers and all the other features you normally get in a Whole Foods.

The site has about 15,000 square feet of retail space, which makes it larger than the nearby Whole Foods on Prospect Street in Cambridge, but smaller than the Whole Foods in Medford. The average Whole Foods market has about 40,000 square feet of retail space, according to Kyle Marnane, a marketing team leader for Whole Foods, which means the Somerville Whole Foods is on the smaller side.

For its opening day, the Whole Foods is partnering with five local non-profits. Five percent of all proceeds from opening day will be donated to Second Chances, Groundwork Somerville, The Family Center, Community Cooks and Food for Free.
It's part of something each Whole Foods market runs four times a year called "five percent day," Marnane said.

Whole Foods took over six former Johnnie's Foodmaster locations. In addition to Somerville, the supermarket has opened new locations in Charlestown, South Weymouth, Melrose and Brookline. Another Whole Foods is scheduled to open in Arlington on Sept. 18.

Jessi Haggerty, marketing manager for the Somerville Whole Foods, said all former Johnnie's Foodmaster employee were given an interview with Whole Foods. A number of them took jobs with the company in other locations, and a handful of them will be familiar faces in Somerville.

The store will employ about 110 people in full-time and part-time positions.

The Sept. 4 "bread breaking" ceremony takes place at 9:45 a.m., and Whole Foods will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.