Peek inside the brand new Whole Foods Market in North Vancouver (PHOTOS)

The countdown is on: The brand new 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market in North Vancouver will open on April 26.

Situated at the base of the Onni development at Lonsdale and 13th, this highly-anticipated location is the seventh Whole Foods in B.C. and it features some unique design components, as well as some products that are unique to the store and new to the region.

Whole Foods on 13th at Lonsdale (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

Taking to heart North Vancouver's unique "sea-to-sky" location, design elements for the new build include a ship to mountains influence as you move from south to north in the store. Near the entrance you'll see lots of piping, copper, and suggestions of the nautical life, like in the porthole-esque cashier stand numbers, and in the dine-in seating area (and the in-store bar/restaurant, Iron Keel).

The in-store bar/restaurant (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

As you move towards the rear of the store, the mountains become a visual theme, starting with the canopy of the juice and coffee bar that is meant to echo the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It's here you'll find a range of coffee, espresso, and tea beverages along with fresh juice and smoothies, including a set kids' sized, flavoured, and priced smoothies. Whole Foods' core philosophies are plotted out on the back walls in a mountain range motif.

The juice and coffee bar (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

With wide aisles, high ceilings, and lots of natural light, the store feels quite expansive. Bold all-caps font point shoppers to the bulk section, the bakery, the pizza, and the meat and seafood area--though here the latter is cleverly called "Tide + Terra."

Whole Foods uses the meat and seafood area as a way to clearly communicate sourcing values to customers, with colour and numerical coding and clear descriptors about the meat's origin. It's a full-service butcher counter, so you can ask for special cuts or make order requests, and staff are able to answer all sorts of questions there. They also do on-site fish smoking, so look for things like salmon and cod that's been cured and smoked right there in-store.

AKA Seafood + Meat (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

Local products are flagged with a blue shelf-tag, and there are items in the store that come from some very special locals, like the chocolates from LisaLou's--Lisa herself is a former Whole Foods employee and now has a terrific Vancouver chocolate and treat shop on Main Street.

There are plenty of familiar area and regional purveyors, like Terra Breads and Tree Island Yogurt, both recipients of Whole Foods' loan program, and Fatso peanut butter--paired perfectly with East Van jam--and more.

A local product superstar (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

Head to the cheese section to make your cheese dreams come true. Consult with a cheese specialist for recs for your next party or charcuterie board. Next to that, at the bakery, you'll find a WF North Van exclusive: Patisserie Lebeau waffles, available dipped, "doughnut-style."

Waffles at the bakery (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

In the prepared food section, you'll find what you probably love Whole Foods for the most: take-out entrees, sides, rotisserie chicken, fresh sushi, olive bar, hot and cold salad bars, taco and burrito bar, sandwich bar, and stone oven pizza. Additionally there is bulk gourmet candy, and, in a very first for B.C. the self-serve bulk mochi that many U.S. Whole Foods have been carrying. These mochi are made using non-dairy ingredients, as a wonderful bonus.

MOCHI IS HERE! (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

Speaking of non-dairy, you'll of course find the foods and ingredients that are specific to an array of specialty diets, like vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and so on. There's a full section of just vegan products that also showcases an impressive range of probiotic and fermented foods.

And in the Iron Keel, you can sit down and order a beer, cider, wine, or kombucha, as well as food from a snack and light-bites menu that stars tartines (open-faced sandwiches), soups, and nibbles (pickled veg, olives, nuts). There is also seating for anyone opting to dine-in from their salad bar or pizza feast, plus plugs and wifi.

The prepared food area (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)

The North Vancouver grand opening event will kick off at 9 am on April 26, and the first 100 people in line will receive gift cards, in denominations of anything from $10 to $200. Opening day will also feature specials, demos, and samples.

Check out more photos from inside the store:

Inside Iron Keel (Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is Awesome)