Central Park's Big Night Is November 20. Its New Grocery Stores Are on a Slower Clock.

Which of the new stores near the I-70 interchange will actually open before the holidays? For a lot of Central Park neighbors, that's been the question all fall. The construction fences sit close together, but the buildings behind them are moving at very different speeds.

Here's the answer for late October 2026. One store has a confirmed opening date, and it's a furniture store. The grocery stores behind what BusinessDen called a "grocery boom" for the neighborhood are at three different stages: building, site work, and plans on file with the city. All of them sit near the same interchange. They just won't arrive together.

One interchange, four new stores, four different timelines

Here's where each project stood as of the most recent local reporting this month.

Wayfair's date comes from the company's October 19 announcement. Trader Joe's appears on the chain's "opening soon" list as reported by KDVR on October 17. The Whole Foods target comes from a Front Porch development update. Aldi's filing was first reported by BusinessDen in July.

The addresses tell part of the story. The two projects north of I-70, at Avenues at Northfield, are well ahead of the two south of it on 40th Avenue, and both are going into an established shopping center. Wayfair is moving into the former Macy's, and Trader Joe's is going in next to Old Navy, using 153 parking spaces that are already there. Along 40th Avenue, both grocery sites are new construction.

November 20 is a big day at Northfield and on 29th Avenue

Wayfair first said "late 2026" when it announced the Denver store in July 2025. It picked a firm date this month, and that date happens to land on the same Friday as the Central Park MCA's Winter Welcome. Here's the day in order:

1. 9:30 a.m. Wayfair's grand opening festivities begin at 8298 E. Northfield Blvd.
2. 5 p.m. Winter Welcome starts at 29th Ave Town Center, 7350 E. 29th Ave., and pictures with Santa begin.
3. 6 p.m. The tree lighting ceremony at 29th Ave Town Center.
4. 8 p.m. Winter Welcome wraps up.
5. 9 p.m. Wayfair closes its first day.

The store itself is about 140,000 square feet on two floors, with 19 departments and areas set aside for free design services. It's Wayfair's fourth large-format store and its first in the Mountain West. During grand opening weekend, November 20 through 22, Wayfair is advertising up to 80% off, $50 gift cards for the first 100 customers each day, product giveaways and family entertainment. Weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The Denver Post reported the store is expected to employ about 150 people and will keep regular hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

On 29th Avenue, Winter Welcome brings live performances, vendors, a Winter Welcome bar with hot chocolate and adult beverages, s'mores from the Girl Scouts, and treats from MCA partners. The MCA has posted a traffic control plan for the streets around 29th Avenue, so it's worth checking before you drive over.

Northfield's restaurants and shops opened first

Wayfair is the biggest piece so far, but the smaller openings at Avenues at Northfield came before it. Back in June, Front Porch reported "coming soon" signs on the future 3 Margaritas in the former La Sandia Cantina space, along with construction on a new outdoor pedestrian area. The Avenues at Northfield homepage now lists 3 Margaritas as open, along with a new Pandora. Bubba's 33 had its grand opening on October 5.

The center's events calendar also lists a free lululemon Pilates class on November 8, which falls between this post going up and the Wayfair opening.

More is planned. Front Porch reported plans for 216 market-rate and affordable apartments on what's now a parking lot at the center, and Life Time is planned for the same development.

Trader Joe's: what the "coming soon" label tells you

Trader Joe's is the next grocery store to open, and the chain has given one clear signal about timing. When Front Porch asked in the spring, a company spokesperson said by email:

"At this time, we do not have a timeline confirmed for any stores in the area. We list all of the stores that are opening soon on our website."

At that point, in mid-May, the Northfield store wasn't on the company's list. By October 12 it was. KDVR's roundup lists Denver, 8564 East Northfield Boulevard, among the chain's "soon" locations. KDVR also noted a Trader Joe's spokesperson had previously said stores usually get that label three to six months before they open.

So Trader Joe's has moved from no listing to a "soon" listing, but it still has no date. The building is planned at 12,500 square feet. Any opening date you hear before the company announces one is a guess.

South of I-70, the grocery stores are a 2027 story at the earliest

Front Porch puts the Whole Foods site at 40th Avenue and Central Park Boulevard about a mile from the Trader Joe's. The plan calls for four buildings: the grocery store plus three more for other retailers and restaurants. Work is underway, and the store's anticipated opening is 2027. The Denver Post gave the address as 3979 Central Park Blvd. when the plans were first reported in 2025.

Aldi is across Central Park Boulevard from Whole Foods and is the furthest behind. BusinessDen reported in July that plans were submitted for a store of about 19,500 square feet on 2.3 acres at 9111 E. 40th Ave., between Cracker Barrel and Chick-fil-A in Evergreen's Runway 35 South project. The store would sell beer and wine and have 109 parking spaces. The 40th Avenue address is already open for business in one way. Westword listed Black Rock Coffee Bar at 9111 E. 40th Ave. among Denver's August openings.

The Central Park site is one of two Aldi proposals in Denver. The Denver Post reported the other is at 18453 E. 57th Ave., near 57th and Tower Road. Aldi announced in January that it plans more than 50 stores in the Denver and Colorado Springs markets, but it didn't name sites or give a first opening date. As of KDVR's October 16 report, Colorado was still one of ten states with no Aldi at all.

Until those stores open, the neighborhood's grocery stores are the ones BusinessDen listed in July: Natural Grocers, a Walmart, and King Soopers stores on Central Park's east and west ends.

If you're wondering how all this new retail near the I-70 interchange might affect your corner of Central Park, our team at Live.Laugh.Denver. is glad to talk it through over coffee. Black Rock on 40th Avenue works for us.