Whole Foods Market will be unveiling a brand new location in Newark, set to open late winter 2017. The 29,000 square-foot store will be located in the historic Hahne & Co. building at 609 Broad Street.
The building was formerly home to the Hahne & Co. department store, which opened in 1901 and rode the wave of department store glory days until closing in 1986. For 29 years it sat boarded up and vacant, until finally being converted into a mixed-use complex of apartments and retail space.
Surrounding the grand opening, Whole Foods Market will be offering a number of hiring opportunities, grants, and microcredit lending to the local community.
With the opening of the Newark location will come 110 new employment opportunities. Job availabilities have been posted on their website.
Whole Foods Market has also created a nonprofit called Whole Cities Foundation that will be offering grants between $5,000 and $15,000 to Newark-based community organizations that are improving health and food access in their neighborhood. Organizations can apply here with a December 14th deadline. Winners will be announced in conjunction with the grand opening of the Newark store.
In addition, Whole Foods Market’s Whole Planet Foundation is offering up to $250,000 in loans for Newark-area entrepreneurs. Those interested can visit Whole Planet Foundation’s partner micro-financier Grameen America to apply.
Whole Foods will also be on the lookout for new community partnership opportunities through the creation of a community advisory board of Newark residents. An information session with more details will be held on December 13th at 6pm at the Urban League of Essex County at 508 Central Ave in Newark. Those interested in becoming a partner can contact Sybil Bost ([email protected]) and Milena Caraballo ([email protected]).
