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Earlier this month, Trader Joe celebrated the grand opening of his new store on the first floor of his Sherman Oaks apartment.
However, the chain is nothing new in the neighborhood. Across the street is another trader Joe. There is a “legend” that has been serving customers since 1973, a store representative said.
The first plan was to close the old location when the new branch was ready. Both are off the 101 Expressway on Riverside Drive. But ultimately, according to new store manager Matt Judd, they decided that leaving both open might be “fun.”
“Our business in this city is so incredible that we decided to keep them both,” he said. “Cities deserve it.”
The new store is about 40% larger than the store across the street, with a wider range of products and more aisles for customers to browse. It also offers parking in the underground garage. This is a big draw for customers who are careful to navigate the old convulsion parking lot.
At about noon on Friday, customers went in and out of nearby stores.
The new store is about 40% larger than the store across the street.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
“This is better,” said customer Steve Emric, who grabbed a shopping cart to head to the new store. “Other stores could be quite crowded and the parking lot wasn’t that tight here.”
Another shopper, Jacob Lewis, said he frequently visited the old location, but was excited to visit the new location for the first time. He said the parking lot was a breeze and when he left he vowed that he would “never return” elsewhere.
However, he also did not believe that expansion was entirely necessary for the region.
“It’s not here. They should go out to other areas,” he said.
Both stores were still crowded. Judd said he expects many customers to remain loyal to 1973 Trader Joe.
Olga Virov said she has been shopping in a small store for about 20 years. She was impressed with the car park options offered by the new store, but she didn’t know the need to switch as she normally walks to the grocery store.
“This is more convenient. I prefer to go to this because it’s comfortable and easier for me to reach,” she said of the old place. “Unless you’re shopping at the mall, I’m not going to go to it.”
Melany Figeroa-Garcia stopped by older trader Joe on a grocery run. She said she plans to continue shopping there and calls it Kozier. She further said she believes the parking system at the new location is disrupted. But she liked the options for bigger locations.
“If there’s nothing I want in this place, I’ll walk elsewhere and get it,” she said.
In a statement to the Times, Trader Joe said it is expected that both stores will remain open.
“Our goal is to provide as many delicious products as possible with great values,” the statement said. “The best way to do that is to open more stores.”
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