Closure of trouble-riddled Whole Foods rocks upscale community as residents fear property prices will plunge

DAILYMAIL.COM ^ | 11 October 2025 | ALEXA CIMINO

[dennisw]

The sudden closure of one of the country's very first Whole Foods stores has rocked the upscale Bay Area town of Mill Valley.

Residents say Amazon has abandoned the beloved neighborhood staple that defined their community for more than three decades and are furious despite there being another store a mile away.

The California store first opened in 1992 and became a local institution where the town's 14,000 residents caught up in the aisles and kids grabbed snacks after school.

But after a rodent infestation and roof repairs forced a temporary shutdown over the summer, locals expected the market to reopen by fall. Instead, Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, pulled the plug, citing high repair costs.

Now the once-bustling market sits behind a chain-link fence, still bearing a 'temporarily closed' sign.

'All of us in the community have supported that store for years and years,' Jana Hildebrand, a Mill Valley resident of 30 years, told SF Gate.

'And now, when the community needs the support of a very powerful company with deep pockets, they are just walking away, saying it's too expensive to fix the building.'

Hildebrand said she bought her home in part because of its proximity to the store, a rare convenience in a town known for winding hillside roads.

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TOPICS: Books/Literature; Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: mv

[Locomotive Breath]

But after a rodent infestation and roof repairs forced a temporary shutdown over the summer, locals expected the market to reopen by fall. Instead, Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, pulled the plug, citing high repair costs.

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Mill Valley probably has one of those rules that if you touch anything you have to fix everything - all at once.

[Locomotive Breath]

Ten years ago I lived in Napa. Can confirm.

[spokeshave]

Mill Valley Ca...bunch of lib-turds.

CA...plenty of sun...

They can grow their own vegetables.

My former spouse grew vegetables all year round

Also oranges...tangerines and lemons.

[Tommy Revolts]

Now the once-bustling market sits behind a chain-link fence, still bearing a 'temporarily closed' sign.

Fitting!

[Blennos]

if only politicians and govt workers understood this equation. Sigh.

Indeed. Either they don't comprehend basic economics, or they simply don't care. Why should they? Their train is always full of gravy.

[mac_truck]

No thanks...

[yldstrk]

Yes, the winters in Kansas are brutal.