At 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, the doors open at 1051 Steam Ave. That is Chesterfield County's first Whole Foods Market, a 37,636-square-foot store in the new Midlothian Depot development at Midlothian Turnpike and Alverser Drive, right beside Chesterfield Towne Center. Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year, so the store opens exactly one week before it.
It is the third Whole Foods in the Richmond region. The other two are in Short Pump in western Henrico and at the Sauer Center in Richmond. For anyone on the Midlothian side of the river, this is the first one that doesn't take a trip across the James. The store is also the anchor that sets the schedule for the whole development. Several Depot tenants are aiming to open in the same window, which means the corner will look noticeably different by the end of December.
The timing puts the store on your holiday list right away
A grocery store that opens in mid-November gets tested by holiday cooking almost immediately. According to the Whole Foods Market announcement, the Midlothian store will carry more than 390 products from Virginia and neighboring states. A forager for local and emerging brands, Lillian Huber, helped pick them.
These are the departments that matter most for a big holiday table, along with the local names Whole Foods says will be on them:
| Department | What the store describes | Local and regional names |
|---|---|---|
| Meat counter | Full service, with butchers who cut steaks and poultry to order and make fresh sausage in house | LaBelle Patrimoine Heritage Chicken |
| Seafood counter | Fishmonger service and a local oyster and fish selection that changes daily | Ivy City Smokehouse smoked salmon, Jimmy's Famous Seafood crab cake bases |
| Cheese and specialty | A counter staffed by trained cheese professionals | Firehook crackers, Savannah Grace Southern Snacks, Naturalissima charcuterie |
| Bakery | Bread baked daily, plus seasonal Brown Sugar Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll Rice Crispy Treat and a Holiday Cookie Box | Whisked by Jenna cookies |
| Beverages | 350 wines and more than 270 craft beers and ciders | Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, The Virginia Beer Co., Potter's Craft Cider |
| Grocery | Packaged coffee, salsas, kombucha | Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Co., Don Sebastián, Blue Ridge Bucha |
Hardywood, The Virginia Beer Co. and Potter's Craft Cider all have Virginia roots, so a cooler run for Thanksgiving Day can stay mostly local. The prepared foods department adds hot and salad bars, pizza by the slice or whole pie, a Market Sandwich counter, and sushi rolled fresh daily by Genji. That matters the week before a holiday, when weeknight dinners tend to get pushed aside.
One timing detail for planners: Whole Foods says Grocery Pickup will be available "shortly after opening," so it won't start on opening day. If your Thanksgiving plan depends on curbside pickup, check with the store before counting on it that week.
How opening morning works
If you'd like to be there when the doors open, here is what the company has announced for Nov. 19:
- Doors open at 8 a.m. After that, the store keeps the same hours every day, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- The first 300 people in line get a limited-edition Midlothian tote bag and a Secret Saver coupon worth up to $100 off.
- Samples throughout the store. Expect Blanchard's coffee, treats from Whisked by Jenna, and cold-pressed juice from Urban Remedy.
- A local donation. Whole Foods is giving food and money to Community Access & Supportive Services, a nonprofit that already picks up surplus food from area Whole Foods stores.
India Lawal is the Store Team Leader. The building borrows from Virginia's Colonial architecture, using locally sourced wood, stone and brick with a warm color palette.
The rest of the Depot is opening around the anchor
Nov. 19 is the start of Midlothian Depot's opening season, not the end of it. Jeff Garrison is a principal at SJC Ventures, the Atlanta-based developer. He told Richmond BizSense that a few businesses are already open and "a lot that will open with Whole Foods, sort of in that same time period." He added that the remaining work is "just tenant build-out and finishing touches."
The 87,500 square feet of retail are essentially built. Here is where each tenant stood as of BizSense's Oct. 23 report:
Open now
- Cheba Hut, the sandwich shop
- AT&T
Expected to open before the end of 2026, according to the developer
- Dave's Hot Chicken
- Turning Point
- Pure Green
- J.Crew
- Warby Parker
- Petfolk, a veterinary clinic
- Lovesac
Announced, no timing given
- Paris Baguette
- Blue Fish Grill
- Bibibop
- Woof Gang, a pet store and groomer
- VIO med spa
- Inspire nail salon
- Wonder, a ghost kitchen and delivery service
The year-end list is a developer's estimate, not a set of confirmed dates. Garrison also said the center is largely leased and should be fully committed within a few weeks. Put together, the mix covers more than groceries. There are restaurants such as Turning Point and Dave's Hot Chicken, a bakery in Paris Baguette, and two pet businesses in Petfolk and Woof Gang. Within roughly a month, the corner should handle errands that used to take several stops along the Turnpike.
Cheba Hut is the useful early test. When BizSense reported its plans in January, the restaurant was projected to open in July or August, with 2,400 square feet and a planned patio. By late October it was open, a few months behind that projection, which is a fair way to read the year-end list too.
Getting in, and where things sit on the site
The Depot covers 13 acres. The shops are grouped toward the Midlothian Turnpike and Alverser Drive corner, and 60 for-sale townhomes by Eastwood Homes sit closer to Old Buckingham Road. BizSense reports that Eastwood has finished a handful of those townhomes.
You can drive in from all three bordering roads. In BizSense's account of the revised site plan, that means two entrances on Midlothian Turnpike, one on Alverser Drive and one on Old Buckingham Road. The Old Buckingham Road entrance sits on the townhome side of the site, which gives drivers a way in that doesn't use the Turnpike.
Some local history explains the setting, even though no source connects it to the Depot's name. Chesterfield County's comprehensive plan records Midlothian as a coal-mining village. It notes steam engines working at the Midlothian mines in 1811 and the Chesterfield Railroad to Manchester, established in 1831 as Virginia's first railroad.
Just next door, Chesterfield Towne Center added Blue Rose Video & More this summer. It's a specialty shop for physical media and video rentals, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch openings roundup. With a grocery anchor, restaurants and a mall all within a short drive of each other, one stop on Thanksgiving week could cover a pie, a fish order and a movie for the long weekend.
New anchor stores change how a corner gets used day to day, and over time they can change how buyers see the streets nearby. If you own a home near the Turnpike and Alverser corridor and want a practical read on what Midlothian Depot means for your plans, whether that's selling, renting it out or simply knowing your home's value, Ronda and the team at Bradley Real Estate can help. Schedule a consultation.
