Whole Foods plans smaller-format grocery store near Logan Square’s California Blue Line stop

Whole Foods Market plans to open a smaller-format grocery store in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, bringing a new food-shopping option to a former Family Dollar site near the CTA Blue Line’s California Avenue station,  according to the Chicago Tribune. The company has signed a lease for the 10,000-square-foot building at 2280 N. Milwaukee Ave.

The store will replace the Family Dollar location, which closed in 2023, the report noted. Whole Foods confirmed the lease but has not announced an opening date, store hours, or other operating details.

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A smaller store near the Blue Line

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Logan Square location is expected to use Whole Foods Market’s Daily Shop format. The concept is designed for dense urban neighborhoods and offers a curated selection of groceries, fresh food, prepared meals, and everyday essentials in a smaller footprint than a traditional supermarket.

The building sits steps from the California Blue Line stop, a location that could serve residents, commuters, and shoppers who do not drive, per the Sun-Times. Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, said the store could help people walk to a grocery shop, take fewer car trips and reduce the need for delivery runs, the report confirmed.

La Spata also said the project would not require zoning relief or city subsidies. Per the Sun-Times, renovations have taken place at the former Family Dollar property, and the alderman said the work could support an accelerated opening schedule. Whole Foods has not confirmed that timeline.

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Part of Whole Foods’ urban expansion

The Logan Square store is part of Whole Foods’ national effort to enter more neighborhoods through smaller locations. The Austin-based grocer has already opened compact stores in New York City and Virginia and has announced another Chicago Daily Shop at 1200 N. Ashland Ave. in Wicker Park, according to the Sun-Times.

According to the Tribune, Whole Foods already operates nearly a dozen Chicago stores, including an approximately 80,000-square-foot flagship in Lincoln Park. Logan Square is also slated to receive its first Trader Joe’s at 2053 N. Milwaukee Ave., a few blocks from the planned Whole Foods, the Sun-Times said, though that store’s opening date also remains uncertain.

The new grocery store will bring a higher-end retailer known for natural and organic foods to a property once occupied by a discount chain. Its arrival follows new apartment development and retail investment along Milwaukee Avenue, as Logan Square’s population and shopping needs continue to change.