The Wholey Grail of supermarkets.
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Whole Foods' first store opened in 1980 in Austin with 19 employees, some of whom are still with the company!
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS.
Some of the founders lived in Saferway, the food store that eventually became Whole Foods. There were no showers, so they bathed using the hose attached to the dishwasher.
A year after the first Whole Foods opened, one of the worst floods in Austin's history hit the city, wiping out most of the store's inventory and equipment.
The store had NO insurance, but customers and neighbors helped clean up and creditors, vendors, and investors were lenient with the store.
