New Whole Foods opens in East Liberty, old store closes
Whole Foods Market replaced its grocery store in Pittsburgh’s East End with a new, larger space in East Liberty.
The new grocery store opened Wednesday morning at the Liberty East development at 5700 Penn Ave. The new location will add more than 20,000 square feet of floor space compared to the former store on Centre Avenue, as well as more parking spaces in an attached garage.
The high-end grocery store on Penn Avenue will include additions such as a beer and wine department and a full-service coffee bar.
The former location on Centre Avenue, just a few blocks away, had been in Pittsburgh for more than 20 years.
The new store is the first tenant on the ground floor of the Liberty East development, which includes several stories of offices and a large parking garage.
The controversial development replaced the former Penn Plaza apartment complex, and displaced hundreds of mostly low-income residents. The legal battle that followed became a flashpoint in Pittsburgh’s ongoing struggles to create enough affordable housing.
As part of the new store opening, Whole Foods said it will make a $5,000 donation to the Enright Community Garden, which is located nearby. The grocer, which is owned by Amazon, also will donate over $10,000 to local community organizations supporting community food systems, education and leadership development.
Whole Foods Market East Liberty will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on opening day, and complimentary coffee and snacks will be provided.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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