After a mere three-day absence, Whole Foods Market is back open in Reston.
The grocery store welcomed customers to its new, larger location at the Spectrum at Reston Town Center yesterday (Wednesday), offering complimentary coffee and snacks from Manassas-based Café Kreyol and Maryland’s Whisked by Jenna.
The first 300 people in line also received a free tote bag and Secret Saver coupon books with offers that totaled up to $100 off.
Taking over the former Best Buy space at 1861 Fountain Drive, the 46,711-square-foot store is almost twice the size of its longstanding predecessor at Plaza America, where Whole Foods had been operating since 1996. That location closed on Sunday (Aug. 3) ahead of the move.
To mark the grand opening, Whole Foods donated food to the nonprofit Northern Virginia Food Rescue. The Amazon-owned chain says it also made donations to Reston’s own Cornerstones and Anna Sudha Community Kitchens, which is based in Dulles.
Anna Sudha says staff and volunteers distributed its donated groceries — which included cereals, canned goods and pantry staples — to families at the Fair Ridge Shelter near Fair Oaks.
Residents of the Patrick Henry Family Shelter in Seven Corners relocated to Fair Ridge in April in anticipation of the existing building getting demolished this summer. Construction on Patrick Henry Place, a new facility that will include supportive housing, is expected to start later this year.
In social media posts, Anna Sudha Community Kitchens thanked Whole Foods Reston for its continued support.
“Not only have they consistently supported us with generous grocery donations, funding, and volunteer efforts, but they also invited us to be part of the opening of their new Reston store — giving us a valuable platform to share our mission with the broader community,” the nonprofit food pantry said.
Like at other locations, Whole Foods at the Spectrum offers a variety of produce, a specialty cheese department, seafood and meat counters, a bakery, prepared foods, a coffee bar and wellness products. Over 400 products come from sources in the D.C. region, the grocery says.
Habetamu Bula, the team leader at the Reston store, said the new location will enhance “the incredible sense of community” that she has seen since starting as a part-time cashier for Whole Foods 18 years ago.
“This new, larger store will have more seating space for gathering, which I hope will only help deepen the sense of community and connection,” Bula said in a press release. “My team and I are thrilled to open this beautiful new store and continue serving the wonderful Reston community with the same expertise and service we’ve proudly delivered for the past three decades.”
Whole Foods relocated its Idylwood store to Falls Church City earlier this year. The Austin-based company also has locations at The Boro in Tysons, Fair Lakes, Vienna and Springfield Plaza.
Other recent changes at the Spectrum at Reston Town Center include the closure of Robeks, which had been at the shopping center since at least 2008. The juice shop will be replaced by South Block later this year.
