New Pasadena Erewhon Store Schedules Job Fair Ahead of September Opening

Erewhon’s new Pasadena location at the 475 S. Lake Avenue site of a former Borders bookstore will host a job fair on August 9, ahead of its September opening.

The job fair event is focused on hiring for all positions at the new store, as well as a few positions across other store locations. The hiring event will take place at the new location from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Erewhon is a high-end grocery store chain will more than 10 locations that focus on niche, locally produced, quality organic products that it says inspire healthier communities. Erewhon is known for its meticulous merchandise curation and emphasis on emerging brands. 

The stores offer a variety of products, including groceries, supplements, prepared foods, and wellness products.

The company said in job fair announcements that it offers competitive pay, 50% off organic meals daily, 20% off in-store purchases, bonuses and sales rewards for some departments, and huge opportunities for career growth. Benefits include 401k with 4% match, paid vacation, health benefits and more.

Interested applicants will be asked to check in at the desk located outside of the store and fill out an application. A hiring manager will interview applicants shortly after. Street parking is available in the surrounding area.

In November, 2021 Pasadena Now spoke to Yuval Chiprut, Erewhon’s chief development officer.

“Pasadena is an iconic community. It’s affluent, it’s sophisticated. I feel like it’s underserved in some capacity,” Chiprut told Pasadena Now. “It’s just a natural expansion location for us. It’s always been on the map for us and we’re ready.”

“We really fell in love with Lake Avenue and the history behind Lake and feel like it’s going to be the epicenter I feel of Pasadena again,” he said. “The location’s incredible, I love the historical nature of the building and its specific history.”

The 41,760 square foot historic and iconic building is spread over a basement level and two floors for retail. It was successfully marketed by CBRE beginning in the spring of 2020, following nine years of vacancy.

Erewhon’s CEO Tony Antoci and Chiprut envision the ground floor refurbished and built out for Erewhon, including a makeover of the outdoor common area, landscaping, rooftop and patios surrounding the building for shoppers to eat and hangout.

Chiprut outlined the extensive renovations he foresees.

“We’re going to be redoing all the common areas, the landscaping and the hardscaping on the exterior. We’re going to revitalize and rehabilitate the exterior of the building and obviously give it a paint job. We’re going to bring it back to its original historical value essentially. We’re going to do all new storefront glass. We’re going to be installing a new four-level elevator that goes from the basement all the way to the roof deck. We’re going to be utilizing the roof deck for some tenants and for public use. We’re going to be modernizing or replacing existing freight and three-level elevators. We’re going to be splitting the second floor unit into two separate tenants.”

The majority of the second floor will be occupied by Brella, a new model of app-enabled child care center that offers full-time, flexible, and on-demand infant care and preschool, along with parent education classes and family events.