Shoppers young, old and in between clogged the aisles of the new Whole Foods store in downtown Minneapolis during Wednesday's grand opening, which included bread-breaking, samples, giveaways and live entertainment.

It isn't the first grocery in downtown, but the arrival of the store — at 222 Hennepin Av. S., where a Jaguar dealership used to be — represents a significant moment in the transformation of the once-sleepy North Loop neighborhood, which has become one of the fastest-growing in Minneapolis.

More than 4,000 people have made the area their home, and businesses have followed, with hopes for more to come.