According to BusinessDen, the new Trader Joe's will not be the typical standalone store, but instead part of a five-story apartment building with retail businesses on the ground floor. There reportedly will be 300 parking spaces, partly underground; parking has been a cause of frustration for Trader Joe's customers at its stores at 661 Logan Street, 750 Colorado Boulevard and 1906 28th Street in Boulder (not so much in Westminster, which is located in a large strip mall with plenty of parking).
Trader Joe's staff helped the throngs navigate during the grand opening of the Westminster location in July.
Gil Asakawa
Although Trader Joe's stores tend to need lots of space (the Westminster shop is 9,000 square feet), the company has opened locations with smaller footprints. To accommodate some states' liquor laws, they've opened separate liquor stores from their grocery stores as well.
Trader Joe's has more than 600 locations across the U.S. — 205 in 46 states, including California, where the chain was born in Pasadena in 1967. It's known for its self-branded products throughout the aisles — from snack chips to cereals and frozen food — along with reasonable prices, reliable quality and a focus on healthy ingredients and diverse ethnic cuisines.
After hungering for the stores for decades, the Denver area finally got its first Trader Joe's over ten years ago. The original location, on Colorado Boulevard, opened in 2013. There are currently nine stores in the state, stretching from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. There are the two other stores in Denver, one in Boulder and one each in Greenwood Village, Littleton, Parker and now, Westminster.
When the Platt Park project is completed, expect Trader Joe's to throw a party — although with the size of this property, it won't be anywhere as big a bash as Westminster's store threw last month.
