Whole Foods plans to leave its longtime location within the Center on Halsted.
The grocery store at 3640 N. Halsted St. will be relocated to 827 W. Belmont Ave., at the intersection of Clark Street and Belmont Avenue, according to a Whole Foods spokesperson. The timeline for the transition is still unclear.
Whole Food has anchored the Center since the complex opened in 2007. The grocery store has its own entrance on Halsted, but it also has doors that connect to the Center’s first-floor cafe area.
Center on Halsted’s 2024-2025 Impact Report shows that about 6% of the non-profit’s revenue comes from rental and other earned income. ProPublica recorded that about 3% of Center on Halsted’s revenue, $226,696, came from rental income in the 2024 fiscal year.
Whole Foods has also partnered with the non-profit on some of its programming, including the Center’s Silver Fork culinary training program.
Center officials declined to comment on the closure.
“At this time, Center on Halsted has no comment on Whole Foods’ new location,” said Mason Miner, marketing and communications manager at Center on Halsted. “We are appreciative of our longstanding relationship with Whole Foods.”
Windy City Times reported in 2003 that the Center on Halsted’s partnership with Whole Foods could have played a significant role in the Center’s opening because it may have reduced some of the Center’s construction costs and made the property more attractive to banks that would finance the building’s mortgage.
The Chicago Tribune reported Whole Foods was possibly the first major retailer to anchor a gay community center in the United States, during a time when many mainstream corporations were beginning to increase advertising within the LGBTQ+ community.
Whole Foods didn’t answer questions about how the closure will impact its partnership with Center on Halsted by the time of publication.
Whole Foods to leave Center on Halsted building
