13 replies to this topic

[cityboi]

Trader Joe's coming to Greensboro? just maybe this latest rumor is finally true.......





It appears as though Trader Joe's COULD be coming to Greensboro on West Friendly Ave. based on the latest rumors. Local leaders are being tight lipped when asked about Trader Joe's. Normally when Trader Joe's is ask if they are expanding in a certain area, the company will say "there are no plans for expansion in this area at this time". Now when they are asked about Trader Joe's coming to Greensboro, they are saying "no comment". Greensboro's mayor Robbie Perkins would not confirm whether the grocer was associated with a planned multi-tenant retail development, but hinted by saying it would be a “pretty logical assumption.” “(The developers) were saying that they wanted to make their own announcement, but this would be someone who was looking in the Greensboro area for a while,” Perkins said.

Only one homeowner who lives in the area that may be developed could be reached for comment Monday.
“I better not say anything,” said Vera T. Rabin, who owns two of the six lots on that block of Friendly that the developer is seeking. “I am not in charge of this. I don’t know what information is secret or is on the plate.”

Some workers at the Cary store claim to have been told that Greensboro would be the next NC location for Trader Joe's. The retail development will be located at the corner of Hobbs Rd and West Friendly Ave across from The Shops at Friendly Center. If built Trader Joe's would be across the street from the nation's largest Harris Teeter. nicked named "Tajmaheeter". Next year Whole Foods Market will also be opening up at Friendly Center. That would be three major grocery stores in the same shopping center area. The Shops at Friendly Center and the surrounding area has been drawing upscale establishments over the past several years such as PF Changs, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Brooks Brothers and an Apple Store. This trend will likely continue and I would expect to see a Cheesecake Factory open at Friendly Center. These establishments typically open in upscale retail clusters. If Greensboro ever gets a Nordstrom, it would likely be at Friendly Center as well. Friendly Center is located in one of the most affluent areas in Greensboro. One thing is for sure, The Fresh Market will no longer have a monopoly in this town when it comes to specialty/organic grocery stores. Whole Foods is coming and it looks like Trader Joe's may come. While there have been rumors before about Trader Joe's coming to Greensboro, these latest rumors appear to be stronger much like the rumors about the Apple Store before it opened in Greensboro. Rumors are so strong that the News & Record even posted a photo of a Traders Joe's store with the article. BUT........ despite all this, we should wait until the developer reveals the anchor tenant. The local media seems to be creating a buzz about this but nothing is a done deal until it is officially revealed, especially when it comes to Trader Joe's where false rumors are so common. We do know that the tenant will be entering the Greensboro area for the first time and that they have been looking at Greensboro for a while. But the source of these rumors seem to be coming from some of the land owners of the site being eyed. I would probably keep my mouth shut if I knew a developer was going to come in and purchase my land. Im not sure what these sites are valued at but I personally know someone who walked away with a few million from selling a lot of land to developers out West Wendover Ave some years ago. This person clearly got more than what was invested in the property.

Some nearby residents are against the proposal to re-zone these residential tracts for this latest retail project. With the new liberal city council, there shouldn't be a problem with this passing.


Multiple local media sources are reporting on Trader Joe's in Greensboro. One interesting thing to note, Trader Joe's usually opens very close to Whole Foods Market locations the way Lowes and Home Depot or Auto Zone and Advanced Auto open near each other. It may not be a coincidence that we are hearing Trader Joe's talks shortly before the opening of Whole Foods Market which is near the site. Another interesting "coincidence" is that this news appears to be surfacing shortly after the Greensboro city council election. It was rumored that conservatives on city council were against Trader Joe's coming to Greensboro because it would compete with The Fresh Market. The conservatives are now gone and city council is filled with democrats. I do recall former mayor Bill Knight saying at a council meeting in reference to the Fresh Market that we have to protect our local based establishments. Trader Joe's wasn't the subject in this meeting. I don't think any government body should be dictating what competition comes into an area. Ironically its republicans who are suppose to be all about free market and less government intervention. But apparently Trader Joe's has been interested in Greensboro at least since 2009 based on rumors. Some in Greensboro feared that Trader Joe's would hurt business at the Fresh Market. Trader Joe's is a better store than the Fresh Market. Anyone in a community with both stores will tell you that. There is just a better variety of products. Trader Joe's is also less expensive although both are higher end grocery stores compared to your average super market. Trader Joe's is certainly no Food Lion. But conservative local leaders weren't the only ones fighting Trader Joe's. Harris Teeter and of course the Fresh Market have been fighting against their moves. Friendly Center (owned by the Starmount corporation) has a contract with Harris Teeter to be the ONLY food store in the shopping center. Whole Foods got around that because the Sears building is not owned by Friendly Center. The proposed development for the rumored Trader Joe's is not a part of Friendly Center but across the street from it.

Greensboro News & Record

http://www.news-reco...s_friendly_site

WGHP fox 8 news

http://www.myfox8.co...0,5661631.story

Winston-Salem Journal

http://www2.journaln...der-ar-1708561/

WXII Channel 12

http://www.wxii12.co...369/detail.html

Edited by cityboi, 13 December 2011 - 12:07 PM.

[DigitalSky]

As far as the multiple media reports... they all source back to News and Record lol.  It probably is Trader Joe's, my only qualm is them having to destroy houses and trees when there is so much space elsewhere that can be used or redeveloped.

[cityboi]

DigitalSky, on 13 December 2011 - 01:45 PM, said:

As far as the multiple media reports... they all source back to News and Record lol.  It probably is Trader Joe's, my only qualm is them having to destroy houses and trees when there is so much space elsewhere that can be used or redeveloped.

My guess is that Trader Joe's wanted to be close to Friendly Shopping Center as possible. Contracts with Harris Teeter prohibit them from actually being in Friendly Center and Whole Foods beat them to the Sears buidling which is not owned by Friendly. I can't think of any existing store fronts not in Friendly Center close by and it may be because they couldn't find any other site adjacent to Friendly Shopping Center. One could argue Trader Joe's can go up in other parts of the city like Jefferson Village or even West Wendover Ave where a store there could draw High Point residents as well. But again their strategy seems to be to open up locations near Whole Food Markets. The only other Whole Food Markets in the area is in WInston-Salem so if Greensboro city leaders screw this up, Trader Joe's might decide to open up in Winston first. The project must pass through the zoning board and Greensboro city-council before it can move forward. Regardless of what happens, both Greensboro and Winston-Salem will eventually have a Trader Joe's. When they enter a market, they typically open up a second location in a market the size of the Triad. Winston-Salem residents want one just as bad as Greensboro residents so there is demand for two stores in the Triad.

Edited by cityboi, 13 December 2011 - 03:33 PM.

[cityboi]

More than likely some surrounding neighbors will try to fight this re-zoning. Earlier this year another commercial project (office medical building) was proposed on a nearby site. The developer was trying to get the site re-zoned from residential to commercial. In that case the neighborhood won and city council voted it down. The situation is different here. For one we have a liberal city council now and secondly the site being considered for the rumored Trader Joe's is already adjacent to a major retail shopping center and would have no negative impact on the community because the site is located on Friendly Ave. There would be no additional traffic going through the residential neighborhood. People coming from all directions are either going to take Holden Rd or Friendly Ave to get there. Both are major Greensboro arteries. This is not some retail project in the middle of a residential neighborhood. But it appears that the situation is either the company builds its project on this site or it won't come to Greensboro. I just don't think there are any other nearby sites because the company would have pursued them. Another reason this situation is different from the last attempt to put a commercial building in the area is the fact that this could be a Trader Joe's. Too many supporters across the city for a Trader Joe's aren't  going to stand by and let a bunch of NIMBY's decide the fate of Trader Joe's coming to Greensboro so proponents will be just as loud as opponents just like the baseball stadium. After all the worries nearby neighbors had of the downtown ballpark, their lives are no different than before the stadium was built.

People have been waiting for years for this store to come to Greensboro. I do believe this will pass the zoning board and city council if it is indeed a Trader Joe's.

Edited by cityboi, 13 December 2011 - 09:51 PM.

[DigitalSky]

My friend who works for a prominent local commercial real estate company said that TJ's looks for low rents, they don't want to pay a lot while being in the best location possible.

[cityboi]

It's definitely Trader Joe's

the developer of the planned project pretty much says this will be a Trader Joe's.  The developer will also make a good faith effort to help nearby neighbors and give them a say in how the project will be configured. The city council is aware how much citizens of Greensboro want TJ's which is why I think its going to get the support of the zoning board and city council. Its a smart move for the developer to let nearby neighbors have a say in how its built. That will help diffuse some of the opposition. But clearly the name was leaked on purpose to drum up support for the re-zoning. A number of people have been saying that people associate with Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill did indeed tell them that TJ's was ready to come here two years ago but Greensboro city council blocked them as a way to protect the Fresh Market. Some how council was able to do this behind the scenes.  Just as I mentioned before, this Trader Joe's news is coming shortly after the city council election where most of the republicans were voted out of office. Boy I'm glad we voted those bozos out of office.

http://www.news-reco...y_avenue_hobbs_

Edited by cityboi, 14 December 2011 - 08:38 AM.

[DigitalSky]

So they are saying the center which will house TJ's (15k sq ft) will in total be 50k sq ft.  Let's hope they bring in other A-name retailers like Crate and Barrel or H&M

[citylife]

cityboi, on 13 December 2011 - 07:11 AM, said:

One interesting thing to note, Trader Joe's usually opens very close to Whole Foods Market locations the way Lowes and Home Depot or Auto Zone and Advanced Auto open near each other. It may not be a coincidence that we are hearing Trader Joe's talks shortly before the opening of Whole Foods Market which is near the site.

This is true. Here in Greenville, SC Trader Joe's is located directly across I-85 from Whole Foods Market on Woodruff Road.

cityboi, on 13 December 2011 - 07:11 AM, said:

Some in Greensboro feared that Trader Joe's would hurt business at the Fresh Market. Trader Joe's is a better store than the Fresh Market. Anyone in a community with both stores will tell you that. There is just a better variety of products. Trader Joe's is also less expensive although both are higher end grocery stores compared to your average super market.

Hurt The Fresh Market's business? I don't think so. They built a whole new grocery store here that was larger than the old one they had. I haven't seen Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe's do anything to affect their business in a negative way in this area. Same goes with EarthFare. I think they're all very good grocery stores but that's just my opinion. However, i'm not gonna lie that Trader Joe's does seem to win out when it comes to product selection and price.

Edited by citylife, 14 December 2011 - 11:39 AM.

[burt]

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are about 3 blocks apart in suburban Richmond (West Broad Village and a neighboring smaller commercial area.

Fresh Market had only one store on Parham Road in Metro Richmond but recently opened a second one across the river adjacent to a large mall called Chesterfield Town Center.

WF and TJ will probably spur further upscale retail developmet in Greensboro.

PS:  I think Richmond's Whole Foods is one of the few that has its own vegetable garden across the street from the store.

Enjoy TJ's "2 buck chuck" wine (although it's 4-buck chuck in Va because of taxes.)

[DigitalSky]

Trader Joes and Whole Foods in Chapel Hill are in adjacent shopping centers as well.  And I agree - i don't see Fresh Market being hurt, honestly think there is enough room for everyone in this market.  Burt, in NC it's $3 chuck..

[cityboi]

DigitalSky, on 14 December 2011 - 11:35 PM, said:

Trader Joes and Whole Foods in Chapel Hill are in adjacent shopping centers as well.  And I agree - i don't see Fresh Market being hurt, honestly think there is enough room for everyone in this market.  Burt, in NC it's $3 chuck..

I didn't know there was a TraderJoes Greensboro website.

http://greensborotraderjoes.com/

I don't think the Fresh Market will be hurt either. The store chain was found and headquartered in Greensboro and there are several store locations here. Customers have been shopping there for years. But Trader Joe's will be very popular here. Whenever a store first opens in an area, there is usually a line of people waiting in front of the store in the middle of the night as if it were black friday in November. Trader Joe's in Greensboro will attract people from as far away as Roanoke, Virginia. In some states, people travel 300 miles to the nearest Trader Joe's to stock up on food. TS's is also unique in that the interior in each store reflects images and icons of the city its located in like city skyline paintings and images of attractions in the area. You may see a painting of Greensboro's skyline and images Nathaniel Greene, Dolly Madison or maybe a decor that reflects Greensboro's textile heritage.

This is pretty common in every city that gets a Trader Joe's



Here are photos of some of the Trader Joe's in North Carolina

RALEIGH



CARY



CHAPEL HILL

Edited by cityboi, 15 December 2011 - 06:14 PM.

[cityboi]

construction wire also reveals its a Trader Joe's. Its in the planning and approval stage. No longer a rumor.

http://www.construct...1-CA85ADA784DD}

Edited by cityboi, 15 December 2011 - 06:28 PM.

[cityboi]

Here are plans and renderings for the shopping center that will include a Trader Joe's

http://www.news-reco...shopping_center

[DigitalSky]

Thanks Tim! It looks nice.