Next Wednesday, the former shopping sphincter formerly known as Cala Bell in the Upper Haight will be officially replaced with a brand new Whole Foods. While this may appear non-newsworthy to those of you lucky enough to live near a decent supermarket, those of us who lived year after year after year in the Haight know how special this moment will be, controversies be damned.

Matt Baume attended the preview of the store earlier this week, snapping these delightful shots while touring the joint. At NBC Bay Area, Baume explained how this Whole Foods will differ from the rest. Ahem:

The store will employ about 180 employees, and uses lots of recycled and re-used elements. The checkout area sits atop a former high school gym floor, and some walls are made of reclaimed redwood. That redwood was carbon-dated to about 2,200-years-old.

Yes, you read that right. Parts of Whole Foods are older than Jesus.

Also, the place will come equipped with picnic tables just outside the market's doors, which "might wind up being a good early test of sit/lie." And how.

Whole Foods Haight opens Wednesday, February 16, at 690 Stanyan (at Haight).

[NBC Bay Area]