Trader Joe's

Location

885 Russell Blvd. (In the parking lot of University Mall)

Phone

????

Website

http://www.traderjoes.com

Trader Joe's is in the process of building 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, various complications (see History below) delayed its opening.

The plan was revived in December 2009. Demolition on the site (where Davis Imaging had been located) began in April 2010. According to an article in the Davis Enterprise, it is scheduled to open in October. There are various reasons speculated why Trader Joes didn't move into Gottschalks space and RAS would stay where they were. Meanwhile, Forever 21 is now planning to move into the old Gottschalks space.

• I think it is because Trader Joe's prefers buildings that are freestanding (although I have seen one that is not).
  

• I believe that the owners of the mall are responsible for Trader Joe's not locating in the former Gottschalk's space. Trader Joe's stores are small stores that are about 12,000 square feet. The Gottschalk's space is about 40,000. If Trader Joe's were to go into the Gottschalk's space there would still be empty space left over. The owners of the mall want to maximize profits by getting a big department store or clothing store to occupy the large Gottschalk's space and have Trader Joe's fill the small empty space in the parking lot. There are many Trader Joe's stores in malls or attached to other buildings. Now that Forever 21 has signed a lease for the Gottschalk's space, the mall owners have succeeded in renting out the maximum amount of space possible in their small shopping center. — MaxLucas
  

• Max, you're more-than-entitled to your opinion, but I think you don't know TJ's well. I've seen them attached to other stores, but they have a pretty strong pattern for their locations, and VISIBILITY and exposure to traffic (car, more than foot, although they're savvy about both) are VERY important to them. A location inside U-Mall would thus make no sense, especially given how marginal Davis is under their normal location criteria. I believe TJ's corporate people had no interest in the Gottshalk's space and only were interested in a parking lot location. The Mall landlords weren't willing to make an offer that tempted RAS ... until RAS lost their contracts with Sutter, and had much less reason to stay in Davis. —DougWalter

Demolition of Davis Imaging

Preparing the ground for the new TJ's

History

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

On October 17, 2006, the City Council approved zoning changes that would allow Trader Joe's to move in. RAS still occupied the lot and despite attempts to convince them to relocate, they showed little interest in doing so. The rezoning would have also allowed RAS to move into the University Mall building, though this would mean another business would have had 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

On July 27, 2008, the The People's Vanguard of Davis reported that RAS was moving to a location on Covell and that a new building for Trader Joe's would be constructed at their former U Mall location.

Trader Joe's 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. It was owned by German billionaire Theo Albrecht up until his death. He also owned the Aldi Nord grocery store chain in Germany. Theo Albrecht died on July 24, 2010. Ownership is now believed to belong to a trust set up by Theo Albrecht. There are shoppers who still think of the chain as being either small or Californian.

• Trader Joe's was founded in California, and later sold to Theo Albrecht. Also, compared to some other supermarkets, Trader Joe's can be considered "small", but that's all relative.
  

• The stores are only 10K to 15K square feet, which is cuddly by current standards. But the chain is huge, with 350 stores according to this profile. They're smaller than Wal-Mart, but what isn't?

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 next 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
  

• So it looks like we'll be getting a Forever 21 after all. Just hope they will carry the men's line of clothing too so that it remains diverse and useful to all of the community. —ThUn
  

2010-05-25 01:02:53   I'm rather disappointed that they chose to construct this new building with cinderblock. I hope they put stucco on the exterior. —jsogul

2010-05-28 17:03:17   It's about time. TJs is wonderful! I can't wait! —LizzyT

2010-06-01 20:31:59   It isn't as simple as just moving into the Gottschalk's space. I once worked at a new grocery store that had taken over an existing retail location. The amount of money spent on remodeling the place was enormous. They had to rebuild the entire back half of the store, leaving only the exterior walls standing. They had to add a walk-in freezer, a number of stainless sinks and counters (per OSHA requirements), and the electrical capacity to handle the milk fridges, produce section, etc. It was a huge pain in the ass, and the building still wasn't ideal after all the remodeling was finished. Maybe Trader Joe's just decided it would be easier to build an entirely new building which would have the exact layout and facilities they wanted. —twblalock

• Agreed, re-using a department store space for specialty groceries isn't simple. I will assert one more time that the biggest reason for a free-standing building is that this is what they wanted. They're a giant chain, they adapt to the location into which they expand, but they don't adapt that much because that takes both time and money. TJ's thrive on visibility and traffic: there's not much else driving foot traffic past the former Gottschalk's space, and you don't see it every time you drive by. QED, IMO. —DougWalter
  

2010-06-29 11:40:55   Can't wait for a walking distance Trader's Joe! Though the building is quite ugly as of now - hopefully they put in some windows! —LeeY

2010-09-02 09:09:39   Went by last night and it looks like it is close to being finished. Anyone know if there is a grand opening date yet? —BigGuy

2010-09-02 10:19:55   I'm really impressed by the speed at which this building is being built. Seems like the exterior is done and they are now working on the interior. I'd estimate that it'll open by the start of the quarter, just in time for freshmen-toting families! —blastoff