Sorry, Winnetka — There’s No Whole Foods Coming to Hubbard Woods

It looks like Winnetka residents will have to keep waiting for that upscale grocery store.

The rumor that an artisanal grocery store — specifically Whole Foods — is coming to the former Gap location in Hubbard Woods isn’t true, according to the Winnetka-Northfield Chamber of Commerce.

“That has been a rumor since the Gap left the space,” Terry Dason, the chamber’s executive director, said.

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Dason traces the rumor’s genesis to when an architectural rendition for a new parking lot was presented to the village. The sketch showed the parking lot with an arch over it with the word “MARKET.” A shopping cart was also sketched into the rendition, implying that a grocery store would be there. The rendition was not based on any solid plans for a grocery store, but was just an idea.

Julie Windsor, the owner of Beat Street in Hubbard Woods, said that the rumors have been prevalent around town.

“The rumors I hear come from the customers or other shopkeepers on the street,” she said. “We’ve heard a Whole Foods Mini Market, a Fresh Market — everything we’ve heard has been food-related.”