Trader Joe's

Corporate address

Trader Joe's Specialty Grocery Stores

PO Box 5049

Monrovia, CA 91017

Phone

626-599-3700

Website

http://www.traderjoes.com

Trader Joe's is proposing to build a 12,000-square-foot store in the University Mall parking lot. The city council received the application on June 5, 2006 and it was originally slated to open by the end of 2007, according to an article in the Sacramento Business Journal.¹

However, as the planning commision made its first recommendations to the Council on September 26, 2006, it is revealed that Radiological Associates of Sacramento (RAS), located on the proposed Trader Joe's site, is unwilling to move. RAS moved into the building in 2003 on a 14-year lease and has invested $1.6 million in structural improvements.²

October 17, 2006, the City Council approved zoning changes that would allow Trader Joe's to move in. RAS still occupies the lot and despite attempts to convince them to relocate, they have shown little interest in doing so. The rezoning would also allow RAS to move into the University Mall building, though this would mean another business would have to leave. Note that the city has no control over these lease negotiations. Teriyaki Express has already been given a 30-day eviction notice by UMall owner Centro Watt.³ In May 2007, Centro Watt filed suit against RAS over terms of the lease.⁴

As of July 27, 2008, the The People's Vanguard of Davis is reporting that RAS will move to a location on Covell and a new building will be constructed at their current U Mall location for Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is scheduled to open in Davis in October 2010.

The store has been greatly desired by Davis residents and the Measure X campaign tried to entice voters with the possibility of a TJ inside Covell Village. Trader Joe's is owned by German billionaire Theo Albrecht. He also owns the Aldi Nord grocery store chain in Germany. There are shoppers who still think of the chain as being either small or Californian.

One of the reasons people love this specialty grocer is that everyday at Trader Joe's someone is demoing a usually tasty and strange recipe during business hours.

The nearest Trader Joe's is in Sacramento: Trader_Joe's

#175	5000 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento	17.9 miles
#70	2625 Marconi Ave. (corner of Fulton), Sacramento	22.2 miles
#101	1350 Gateway Blvd., Fairfield	28.1 miles
#71	5309 Sunrise Blvd., Fair Oaks	29.0 miles
#80	1117 Douglas Blvd. (in Roseville Sq.), Roseville	32.2 miles
#172	850 E. Bidwell St., Folsom	36.4 miles

(distances are from 3rd & F street, the city center)

Past comments & speculations about Trader Joe's and Davis politics

Comments:

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2007-05-18 20:47:40   One of my coworkers was saying today that they're putting in a Trader Joes at the upcoming Target/Costco shopping center at the intersection of Rd 102/I-5 in Woodland. I tried to find details about it online but was unsuccessful. Could be he's wrong, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. —AlexPomeranz

2007-09-09 17:06:03   I love Trader Joe's. I'm tired of having to ride my motorcycle 18 miles just to go to the one in SAC. At least they don't treat their workers like slaves. —DavidHolcomb

2008-08-28 23:38:02   Another thing about TJ's that hasn't been noted is the fact that you can get basic stuff here for great prices. For example, the prices of butter, eggs, and cream at Trader Joes are almost half of what they are at Safeway. The same can be said of nuts and cheese. I can't wait until this comes in. —ascapoccia

2008-09-10 09:43:01   To request a Trader Joe's in Davis, go to: http://traderjoes.com/contact_us_selection.html —GrenouilleD

2008-09-19 23:06:56   Shame I'm going to be gone when they finally open in Davis. I'd love to see someone give the Coop a run for its money. —SMCareBare

2008-12-12 21:09:08   I am allergic to soy and Trader Joe's is the only place I can find prepared, high quality, organic, fair trade foods that I can eat and afford. I don't believe that the Co-op will be threatened by TJ's any more than it's threatened by Safeway, etc.

—KatyMartin

2009-03-02 21:10:47   So, are they still planning on building it? When will it open? I live RIGHT next to U mall, I wish it was there! I want TJ's!!!! —Jaclyn

2009-07-27 02:24:42   I hear that it will be a Forever 21 taking over the space in the University Mall. I hope it is the Forever 21, a person I know who works at the Forever 21 in Arden Mall has said that she is pretty certain that we are getting a Forever 21 store in Davis. It will carry both the women's and men's line of clothing. YAY! —ThUn

• Sorry to burst your bubble, and I may be wrong, but I hear from one of the vendors in the Mall that the lease for Forever 21 was rejected by the owners of the Mall for various reasons, including rent and whether it was the best use of the space. —condemned2bfree
  

• The original bid was rejected late June, but the U-Mall owners were still negotiating with Forever 21 as well as with other unnamed potential tenants, as reported in the Enterprise. The Enterprise speculated that they could also be talking with Trader Joe's, but I don't think there was any evidence to support that other than hearsay, because the owners did not say who they were talking to. There hasn't really been any other news since then. —jsogul