Photo by Amy DenneyWhole Foods Market decided to keep its Gateway store open after receiving feedback from its customers. The location opened in 1995.
Whole Foods will temporarily close its Gateway store at 6 p.m. Jan. 12 until late February for renovations.
"We're excited to get inside the Gateway store and begin updates for what is now our oldest Austin location," said Mark Dixon, regional president for the company's southwest region, in a news release. "Taking into consideration the size of the store, we determined that a short-term closure of the Gateway store will offer a much quicker completion of the renovation and will help to get our guests back into their routines as soon as possible."
Some of the work will be cosmetic, but most construction will make the store more energy-efficient.
Whole Foods employees will temporarily work at other Austin stores, including the new Domain store, which opens Jan. 15. The Domain and Gateway stores are 2.8 miles apart. In August, the company announced it would keep its Gateway store open because of customer feedback.
Evan Schmiedehaus, store team leader for the company's Gateway location, said Gateway customers deserve to have the store updated.
"We can't wait to reopen the doors and share the updates with our guests, but we're also very pleased that all the improvements will keep the same character and charm that we love about our neighborhood store," he said in a news release.
Whole Foods will post updates to its Facebook page and on Twitter.
