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By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer Thursday, February 15, 2007

Single-digit temperatures and a blizzard warning didn't stop thousands of shoppers and curious residents from flocking to the grand opening of the Whole Foods Market in Portland on Wednesday.

An estimated 300 people were waiting when the $15 million natural and organic foods megastore opened at 10 a.m., some of them hanging back until the last minute in their warm cars.

Supermarket openings aren't typically such a big deal in Maine's largest city. Whole Foods Market has drawn so much attention because of the competition it represents in the fast-growing natural and organic products segment of the industry and its highly visible location, near Wild Oats Marketplace and a large Hannaford supermarket.

Public interest in healthier eating, coupled with advance media coverage of the amenities inside the 46,000-square-foot store, set the stage for Wednesday's onslaught of cart pushers and list makers.

Floor polishers were still whirling and produce clerks were still stuffing vegetables into coolers at 9:45 a.m. when a voice over the loudspeaker ordered all employees to gather at the front door. They stood in a semicircle, surrounding a cart holding a massive braided challah bread.

Challah is savored during Jewish holidays and ceremonies, and the breaking of bread that took place Wednesday, explained David Lannon, regional president of Whole Foods Market, signified the store's welcoming of the community and wishes for sharing and prosperity. Shoppers queued up by the cart were offered chunks of challah as they entered.

First through the door was Melanie Lavoie of Cumberland. She's sold on organic and natural eating and has been shopping at Wild Oats and other stores in the area. More competition is good, she reasoned.

Lavoie was anxious to see what's different about Whole Foods Market. Right off the bat, she liked the casual, 115-seat Italian eatery. She planned to meet a girlfriend for lunch and make a morning of her visit.

Lavoie was among the hopeful shoppers who showed up at 8 a.m., not aware that the grand opening had been pushed back two hours. Some of the premature arrivals had been lured by advertisements for two dozen Valentine's Day roses. While not organically raised, they were selling for $19.95, a bargain. Whole Foods Market tried to appease disappointed early birds by giving them free bouquets.

A notable encounter occurred at the seafood counter, where Maine lobsters were selling for $9.99 a pound. Segregated in plastic sleeves, they were to be electrocuted, in accordance with the humane handling procedures outlined for the Portland store by Whole Foods Market and ridiculed by lobstermen and many other Mainers.

Lannon was paged to the counter to greet a woman who was buying the store's first lobsters. Store managers snapped photos of the two as they chatted.

One glitch on opening day was an early afternoon fire alarm that forced the evacuation of the store.

It took employees about 10 minutes to clear customers from the store, said J.J. Thoman, customer service supervisor. There was no fire, and the supermarket was reopened after about five minutes.

Opening day at Whole Foods market was watched closely by its two prime competitors. At issue is whether Wild Oats and the Hannaford supermarket on Forest Avenue will lose business to the all-natural heavyweight.

"This is nothing new to us," said Heather Musselman, a corporate spokeswoman for Wild Oats.

Wild Oats opened its 22,000-square-foot natural foods supermarket on Marginal Way in 2002. It has 109 stores in the United States and Canada but tries to position itself as a locally oriented community market.

Whole Foods is in roughly 75 percent of the communities where Wild Oats operates, she said. Together, she said, they help to raise awareness of natural and organic products. That increases overall market share.

"Wild Oats will continue to be a Portland favorite," she said. "We have a very strong following."

Wednesday's snowstorm threw business off a bit, according to Jamie Hill, the store manager at Wild Oats. That's typical, he noted, because people stock up the day before.

Hannaford, which has 150 stores in New England and New York, also is trying to capitalize on the healthier-eating trend. Its flagship store on Forest Avenue is expanding its line of organic and natural products. Its management is considering a cafe or some form of eatery in the store but hasn't made a final decision, according to Caren Epstein, a Hannaford spokeswoman.

Given the publicity, Epstein said, it's not surprising that people are checking out the newcomer. But that doesn't mean Hannaford shoppers will make a switch once they compare service and price.

"Historically," she said, "our experience is that they come back."

Comparison shopping may be an overriding theme for many who came to the Whole Foods Market's grand opening, and customer loyalty is always up for grabs once the commotion dies down.

Gabe and Marcia Williamson of South Portland were among the first shoppers through the door. They had visited Whole Foods Markets in other states and wanted to see how the Portland store stacked up. Devotees of natural and organic foods, they had toured Wild Oats when it opened in Portland.

"We're just excited there's a new kid on the block," Gabe Williamson said.