WHEATON, IL – I first heard about Pete’s Market during a panel of Chicago consumers. We were polling them about their grocery shopping habits and asked where they preferred to buy their produce.
We expected to hear a lot of the more well-known Chicagoland names like Jewel-Osco or even Whole Foods, but more than half of them said they love to shop at Pete’s.
I said to myself, I gotta check this place out.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
Amidst a lot of change in the Chicago retail scene, with old favorites like Stanley’s and Treasure Island Foods closing up shop, Pete’s Market just opened its 14th location, in the site of a former Whole Foods Market – conveniently located near the headquarters for Blue Book Services, actually.
The Whole Foods moved a couple hundred yards away, to a smaller footprint store.
Interestingly enough, at lunch time on a Thursday, Pete’s was packed with people outside on the patio enjoying the wide selection of in-house prepared foods, and Whole Foods had what I’d consider an average lunch crowd.
The produce department really shines at Pete’s, with large displays, competitive prices and a wide selection. Their in-house juice and fresh-cut fruit are particular favorites of mine.
