June 27–July 4, 1996

hit and run

Circus Maximus

Come 1997, Philly may be eating better and healthier.

Natural food supermarket chain Bread and Circus will open its first area store at 400 N. 20th Street in the supermarket-bereft Art Museum section of town this January. The new, 32,500-square-foot market will have more than 80 parking spaces, says Bread and Circus regional marketing coordinator Linda Boardman.

Boardman confirms that the company is considering a second location in Philadelphia at an undisclosed future date.

The Boston-based chain is part of Whole Foods Market, the nation's largest natural food retailer, with 47 stores across the country, and vends organic produce, vegetarian products, natural meats and fresh seafood.

Pending final approval in September, the Whole Foods chain will also merge with similar supermarket chain Fresh Fields, which boasts 22 stores, two of them in Devon and Wynnewood in Montgomery County.

— Daisy Fried