Trader Joe’s has four locations in St. Louis County, all located in neighborhoods along the Central Corridor. Since the Trader Joe’s mission is to offer a “neighborhood” grocery, what facts would you use to persuade the company to reconsider investing in a location in the City of St. Louis?
To learn more about the Trader Joe’s mission, visit their site.
April 8th, 2008 at 10:17 am
It comes down to what I assume whoever is making the decisions doesn’t know the neighborhoods, but only what they see on paper through census stats and salary data. Ask anyone who lives in the city and they drool at the idea of a TJs in the city.
April 8th, 2008 at 10:30 am
It would be great to have a Trader Joes in the city. I think many people would come to it from the West End, South Grand, and other neighborhoods. If City Grocers and Schnucks can make a go of it in the Old Post Office area, I think Trader Joe’s would be a great attraction in Chouteau’s Landing.
April 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am
If the downtown area wants to be taken seriously as a place to not only work, but live as well, then some things need to change. One change would be to add a Trader Joes. As a resident of South City and a Trader Joe’s supporter, I get tired of driving across town and fighting the Hwy. 40 traffic, just to go to TJs. Bring it on!
April 8th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I live in Soulard, but since our neighborhood is sorely lacking of any good grocery options, I end up driving 8 miles out of my way into the County for good food. Since I neither live nor work in the “burbs,” you can tell that my addiction is serious enough to justify a bi-weekly or monthly schlep out tho their location in Brentwood. If they were to open a location in a real urban area like our neighborhood, I’m sure I’d end up going once a week at the very least if not more, since their prepared foods are great for lunches and dinners but don’t last long enough between my visits.
April 8th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Correction: GoogleMaps tells me that its actually 10.2 (!!) miles from my home to TJ’s in Brentwood. I don’t want to think about how much gas we’re all wasting just to enjoy their great food!
April 8th, 2008 at 11:34 am
I think St. Louis needs to stop selling out to transnational corporations like Trader Joes (OF CALIFORNIA). We have lots of area farmers who need all the help they can get and could provide us with fresher, better quality products. Shipping food 3,000 miles for consumption is ludacris.
Let’s tap into local entrepreneural spirit, pump some of the tax subsidies the city would be giving TJ’s into Soulard Farmer’s market and really sell it as the tourist attract is should be.
And if Trader Joe’s wants to set up a booth in the market to offer some of their unique products—more power to them. I’m for that all the way.
We already have Schnucks coming downtown, driving away business from City Grociers, why invite more? Do you all realize the benefits of spending money on goods and services provided by locals? Let’s take Trader Joes as an example. This company has a HQ somewhere off in the West Coast. When it hires architects, accountant, marketing executives, product testers, etc. it hirest west coast people. When it decides to buy paper products, soaps, and so on, it makes deals with west coast firms. Spend your money here in St. Louis at businesses run by St. Louisans and you will see how, exponentially, our economy will grow. Rely on large corporations for everything you buy–and watch as St. Louis’ unique character is sucked dry. We don’t have but a hand full of places to buy clothes that aren’t brand name….this mean—EVERYONE IN ST LOUIS IS FORCED TO DRESS LIKE EVERYONE EVERYWHERE ELSE. This same occurance will overtake other goods and service providers if we can’t fight against this unfortunate mentality.
Is CHIVVIS planning on importing art as well?
Michael
April 8th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I don’t think the city needs another Trader Joe’s. The city needs something like a
combination Soulard Market/Sappington Farmer’s Market city bodega type store.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
While I absolutely love Trader Joe’s, I think a local grocer would be a better idea. If we buy local, we are helping our own economy which is important. It is difficult to want to live in the city when you don’t have the convenience of stores like Trader Joe’s. However, with a local market, you could make it work if their prices weren’t sky high. I myself am not a fan of chain restaurants or stores of any kind. I prefer to ‘keep it local’!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Well, it has to make sense with the census data period. I’m assuming the Brentwood location (and others) track where shoppers live via their zip codes. This should give an indication of who from the city shops at TJ’s.
In addition, there are several small organic grocers that do good business in the city. Straub’s is very expensive and the city Schnuck’s simply don’t carry what I can get at TJ’s.
Finally, the perfect location would the Commerce Bank site at Vandeventer/Manchester/Chouteau - great access from all directions and plenty of space to put it in.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I think the city could DEFINITELY use a Trader Joe’s. Look at the market? Who would your competition be? We don’t have alternatives to Schnucks and Aldi’s - if we want natural foods and alternative choices we have to go to the county. Think about buying out the Foodland on south Grand by Carondelet park - perfect size, central location, withink walking distance of hundreds of people and when the metrolink finally catches up and comes down Hwy 55 it would be accessable to a lot more people. You can do it now or wait for Whole Foods or someone else to do it and wish you had.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
If Trader Joe’s emphasizes neighborhoods, then they need to understand that the County and City are two completely different neighborhoods. People from the City aren’t going to drive into the County just for Three-Buck Chuck. The City is its own neighborhood, and people in the City need to buy groceries too.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Whether they realize it or not, Trader Joe’s is a regional draw.
I know this is simply anecdotal evidence, but I have family who travel from Festus and Cape Girardeau to get items from Trader Joe’s that they can’t get (or don’t like as well) from local shops, and they’re hardly alone in this. TJ’s has an excellent reputation for providing wholesome and/or higher quality fare. Placing a location in proximity to the I-55 corridor would be a real draw to all those, not only in the city, but in South St. Louis County, Jefferson County, and perhaps into East-Central and Southeast MO as well.
That said, it seems to me that the type of products offered by a TJ’s is particularly appealling to the demographic likely to live nearby - those conscious of the environment moving to the city to lessen the dependence on vehicles, younger, hipper singles and two-unit families who are generall my affluent and brand-conscience, and those who are apt to live a healthier lifestyle. TJ’s seems to target that type of consumer well.
Yes, it is “the city”, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a sense of neighborhood - Soulard and Lafayette Square are close by and are already well-established neighborhoods in the vicinity. The Ballpark Lofts, the potential Condos/apartments proposed in Ballpark Village, and even loftdwellers from the Washington Ave aread could be another potential pool of customers. I’d love to see Chouteau’s Landing become the same type of neighborhood, and maybe a Trader Joe’s, if designed to exist within an urban context (read: easily accessible via foot and public transit, street-facing retail with parking in the rear or in a garage, etc,) could play a part in its development.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I would love, love, love to see a Trader Joe’s downtown. If TJ’s is considering a City location, I hope they’ll look at more than population density and appreciate that city dwellers are exactly “their type.”
To those whose posts suggest we should opt instead for a local grocer or a farmers’ market-type store, I say “great ideas,” but I aslo ask “why INSTEAD?” I go to Soulard market more Saturday mornings than not; I go to Trader Joe’s a lot; and I shop some at Schnuck’s and Dierberg’s (better suited to larger suburban locations, IMHO), too. It’s not an “either/or” thing. A vibrant market affords options.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
In response to:
“We already have Schnucks coming downtown, driving away business from City Grociers, why invite more? Do you all realize the benefits of spending money on goods and services provided by locals?” - Michael
Schnucks is local. Maybe you meant you only want small grocers/business in St. Louis City? I don’t know. Schnucks is not the equivalent Wal-Mart or Fresh and Easy.
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As far as having a Trader Joe’s (or even something insane like a Borders or an Ikea) in St. Louis City….
I think that those chains would get a pretty clear picture of the market they are not fully tapping if all city residents coordinated and didn’t shop outside the city limits for one weekend…. but that’s crazy. They just aren’t likely to come until the numbers look good.
Personally, I am happy to shop for groceries at places like Local Harvest on Morganford, the farmers markets, Straubs and Schnucks. All of these local stores have been happy to operate in the city and take my money. Lots of local city based places take my money
April 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I really think downtown could use a Trader Joes. I have been there a couple times and they have so much interesting things there. They also have great service and i would love to have them downtown
April 10th, 2008 at 4:45 am
City of St. Louis location is absolutely necessary. There is a great need for grocery shopping in the city around the recently renovated and more innovative areas where the demographic is young, educated working professionals sprinkled with older retired empty Nester’s and progressive singles. These areas include: Soulard, Lafayette Square, La Salle Park, Benton Park, etc. There are many restaurants and bars but very little in the way of close (walk/bike) to groceries except for the local gas stations that sell a minimal amount of staple items i.e. milk, bread, soda, liquors, etc. How great it would be to have more choices for health eating.
April 12th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
It would be an asset for all who have chosen to live in the city. Having a grocery located here would eliminate having a car.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:29 pm
When I said local, I meant local and independent. And for the record, Schnucks is not exactly local. They jumped on the band wagon of westward expansion and moved to a bland high rise in Chesterfield. Go figure.
Furthermore, if you hate suburban style development in St. Louis and you are a proponent of historic preservation–BOYCOTT Scnucks! DESCO is the real estate arm of the company-(president Mark Schnuck)-who is responsible for some of the most awful assults to St. Louis’ built environment in recent years. See Loughborough Commons, The Century Building debacle and others.) Now they are looking for more tax credits to move downtown. My point is that this type of development does little for the local economy in the long run. Soon enough Loughborough will look like other vacant, run down shopping centers that are popping up all over the city. In St. Louis, to be competitive, we MUST be creative. We must empower as many people as we can and end our dependence on Centen’s and grand schemes like ballpark village. These developers are not reliable and will not bring in the residents that everyone is predicting. It is small, unique commerical cooridors like S. Grand, Euclid, Grand Center, Cherokee Row, and other that are in dire need of our attention and our tax dollars. For the time being, we should encourage our neighbors to try some Bosnian food in Bevo, get a taste of Nepal at Everest Cafe in the Grove or buy doggie treats at Pets in the City in Soulard.
We can only vote with our dollars, so spend wisely and be aware of whose hands your money will be in.
Michael
May 17th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I don’t care who comes, just as long as the prices compare to the stores in the suburbs. NO MORE 50%+ “downtown shopper” markup!
And yes, I’m talking about you City Grocers.