An excavator may signal the beginning of construction of the Lower Greenville Trader Joe’s.
Advocate publisher Rick Wamre recently mentioned to me that it looks like construction is starting at the site of our neighborhood’s future Trader Joe’s, on Lower Greenville near Prospect. He asked me to write something about “how your life is about to dramatically change.”
Yes, that was sarcasm, which those of you who faithfully read Wamre’s column are no doubt familiar with. And no, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Trader Joe’s will be life-changing, but when the store opens (hopefully in first quarter 2013), it will definitely change the way I grocery shop.
Will I do all of my shopping there? No. I still like to buy items such as Cheerios, which aren’t sold at a store whose shelves are 95 percent stocked with its own brand. And Trader Joe’s stores are small, typically 12,000 square feet, so they don’t have the full-service delis, bakeries, meat markets, etc. that other grocery stores have. But I will be there at least once a month to stock up on all of the unique Trader Joe’s items I have come to love, and maybe more often depending on what else I find.
That’s what makes Trader Joe’s such fun — it’s like a treasure hunt every time you go. “Huh, seaweed snacks. I wonder if those are any good?” As it turns out, they are! And perhaps I haven’t looked hard enough, but I haven’t found seaweed snacks on the shelves of other grocery stores around here. If they do exist somewhere else, $20 bucks says they aren’t as cheap as the ones at Trader Joe’s.
Currently, my Trader Joe’s picks are limited to what I can squeeze into a small carry-on and bring home from my trips to cities where Trader Joe’s already exists. I know, I know — I could drive to Fort Worth or Plano, but I’ve become a true Dallasite and almost anything beyond a 15-minute radius might as well be Oklahoma.
This sentiment was echoed by one of my neighbors on her food blog the day the Plano Trader Joe’s opened (warning: Both her nom de plume and her writing contain choice language, so don’t click the links if you are easily offended): “I don’t live anywhere near Plano, nor would I want to. But today, I’m a bit jealous of those of you suburbanites who can head to the brand spanking new Trader Joe’s in Plano … Dear Trader Joe’s, BUILD THE D@*# GREENVILLE AVE. LOCATION ASAP. Please and thank you.” She followed with an entirely different list of must-buy Trader Joe’s items, all of which I will be buying when our store opens.
Cheap and yummy. That’s why I can’t wait for Trader Joe’s to open. And that’s why an excavator on Lower Greenville is a symbol of hope.
