Buzz builds as Whole Foods in Holbrook closes in on March 5 opening

Just two days before its long-anticipated debut, the future home of Whole Foods Market Holbrook was bustling with preparation this week as crews hurried to put finishing touches on the grocery giant’s newest Long Island location.

Located inside the rejuvenated Shops at SunVet — the redeveloped retail center that has risen on the site of the former SunVet Mall along Sun rise Highway — workers wiped down gleaming front windows, unpacked boxes and stocked aisles with merchandise ahead of Thursday’s 8 a.m. grand opening.

Many of the store’s shelves were already filled with products, signaling that the 43,000-square-foot store is nearly ready to roll.

The Holbrook location, Long Island’s eighth Whole Foods, will be open from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, stocking more than 900 local items sourced from over 215 Northeast suppliers, the company said. John Lawson, forager for local and emerging brands at Whole Foods Market, helped curate the product selection.

_{Top: Whole Foods in Holbrook opens on Thursday (Brian Harmon photos).}