Whole Foods.Supermarket grand opening.Employees ready the Whole Foods Supermarket for its grand opening in downtown Sarasota, Florida. Among them are the butcher, vitamin specialist, cheese lady, seafood specialist and produce stock man. ..On Wednesday, December 8, Whole Foods Market®, the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket, will open its first store in downtown Sarasota at First Street and Lemon Avenue, making it the company's seventh store in Florida. Known for its high quality standards combined with outstanding customer service Whole Foods Market will provide an unequaled shopping experience in Sarasota in the company's first-ever environmentally-friendly supermarket designed based on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® which promotes buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. ..Founded in 1980 as one small store in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market® is now the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, with 185 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. To date Whole Foods Market remains uniquely mission driven: We're highly selective about what we sell, dedicated to stringent Quality Standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture. ..We believe in a virtuous circle entwining the food chain, human beings and Mother Earth: each is reliant upon the others through a beautiful and delicate symbiosis..