Whole Foods Market: A Local Dream Becomes Global

Heading north down Lamar Boulevard late one Tuesday night, the bright lights of downtown Austin light up the dark sky all around me and create the strange phenomenon of a night nearly as bright as the day. The fluorescent lighting of trendy shops and high-rise apartments guide me as I take a right onto W 5^th street and turn into the parking lot of Austin’s urban mecca of hip healthiness-Whole Foods. 

In 1978, things weren’t too great for John Mackey. The 25-year-old hippie had dropped out of college with his then-girlfriend, Rene, and was $45,000 in debt after borrowing money to open a small natural-foods store. He and Rene had just been evicted from their apartment and had taken up residence in their shop, using a hose attached to a dishwater when they needed to shower. But just two years later, things turned around for John—his store, called Saferway (a joking jab to the popular chain Safeway), was doing well and had been noticed by two other local Austinite grocers. The three became partners, and in 1980 they opened the first Whole Foods Market in Austin, Texas. 

Whole Foods’ humble origins are one of the reasons why the chain’s popularity and size are both interesting and inspiring. Going from one 12,500 square foot store to a publicly traded NASDAQ company worth more than $2.4 billion dollars and present in more then 330 locations worldwide in just 30 years is not something many can claim to have accomplished. Whole Foods’ success must be in some part attributed to the health-conscious Austin community. Not many other cities would have fostered an organic foods market as lovingly as Austin did, which in the late 70s-early 80s was just beginning to become known as a place focused on healthy living. In fact, after a large flood that destroyed the store in 1971, it was local customers who did the repair work themselves. Austin’s current most popular Whole Foods Market, located on N. Lamar, is over 80,000 square feet and 4 stories tall, and would require millions of dollars and months of construction should a flood ever come its way. However, according to the Whole Foods website, “Though much bigger in size, the store retains the charm and accessibility of our first location, with an intimate, village-style layout and passionate, attentive Team Members eager to assist our guests.”

Excerpted from the podcast "Whole Foods," available at the top of the page!