.
Feedback

Smyrna Seeks Soul Mate in Trader Joe’s

Can Trader Joe's find love in Smyrna? Residents certainly think so.

Smyrna has loved Trader Joe’s and his Two Buck Chuck unrequited for years, and has been forced to settle on . Commenters ask for him by name every week in , but is Smyrna the love match the grocery chain is looking for?

Joe is tight-lipped about what he looks for in a mate and where he’d like to settle down. Calls to his matchmaker, ahem, media representative at his office in California were unreturned.

City of Smyrna officials have approached Trader Joe’s for dinner and a movie in the past, but he’s always given them the brush off mumbling something about having to wash his hair with Tea Tree Tingle shampoo.

Smyrna's not the only city getting the cold shoulder. Teri Anuelwicz, Smyrna's Ward 3 City Council Representative, doesn't trust Joe and his sweet nothings citing his New Orleans-style coffee as an example of his shallow promises and fear of commitment.

"They call it their New Orleans blend and on the side of the can it says how much they love New Orleans and what a great city it is," she said. "And every time I see it I think, ‘Yeah you guys think New Orleans is so awesome, but you won’t open a store.'"

But Joe’s not completely unwilling to talk. There’s a form on the Trader Joe’s website where fans can request a store in their neighborhood. So keep writing Joe love letters, Smyrna-Vinings, maybe one day he’ll answer.

Some cities loved Trader Joe’s so much they organized entire initiatives to bring him to their town. Folks in Nashville wooed TJ by circulating a petition that got more than 1,000 signatures in a little more than week’s time. That might come across as desperate to some, but apparently Joe has a soft spot for grand, romantic gestures.

Do you think TJ is just not that into Smyrna? Should she move on and settle for a relationship with ? 

Tell us in the comments.

Sydney Busby (Editor) May 29, 2012 at 07:01 pm
One Smyrna-Vinings Patch Facebook fan has tried the direct approach: "I've written letters... come on Trader Joe's... COME TO SMYRNA!!!"
Suzy May 29, 2012 at 07:30 pm
Would love a Fresh Market or Whole Foods alot more than Trader Joe's! It gets old driving over to Buckhead for these stores, but I do it. Maybe Smyrna is too good for Trader Joe's...
Amy May 29, 2012 at 08:10 pm
Fun article!
J. B. Smith May 29, 2012 at 08:20 pm
Yeah, Fresh Market!!!
Mike May 29, 2012 at 08:28 pm
I thought one was coming to the Promenade II? Also there was a recent article on Trader Joe's and their employees are some of the happiest and well paid in the business. They are doing something right. I do go to the location in Roswell and Buckhead...great store and offerings.
What Smyrna needs is something like Americana in Glendale, CA. I just spent some time there and it was amazing for a live/work/play area. http://www.americanaatbrand.com/ http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ds=i&pq=americana&cp=11&gs_id=8&xhr=t&q=americana+glendale&um=1&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1755&bih=1079&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=5jDFT6jqJIiG8QS11sG6Cw
Bryan Marquardt May 29, 2012 at 08:52 pm
I understand that TJoes already has an interest in Riverwood 200
Riverwood 200: At the corner of Cumberland Blvd and Cobb Parkway. 360 residential units and also a large amount of office and retail space including a 16 story office tower as an extension of the already existing Riverwood 100 complex. Ground has already broken on Riverwood. The project is led by Seven Oaks Company LLC and GE Asset Management. Architect is HOK.
Erin May 30, 2012 at 12:00 am
A few of us started a Facebook page for this very thing not too long ago! Facebook.com/SmyrnaGaWantsATraderJoes
We thought if we could get enough people to like the page, maybe someone from Trader Joes would consider opening up a store in good ole Smyrna!
Sydney Busby (Editor) May 30, 2012 at 11:34 am
Here's another interesting Facebook comment: "What's the appeal of Trader Joe's? We have them here in KC and I never bother. Unless you like bad wine or pre-packaged food, I just don't see why you would want to shop there. The meat and bread selection at TJ's is pathetic and you can get similar fruit & veggies anywhere.
Don't sell your soul out for a TJ's, Smyrna." Why do you love Trader Joe's? What are some of your favorite TJ products?
AC May 30, 2012 at 01:33 pm
I am in East Cobb (a friend sent me to this article) and we have Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and a Fresh Market. I go to TJ for some things, WF for others and hardly ever to FM.
WF is good for a wide variety of things (i.e., I can get my entire list there if I want), they have great produce, seafood and meat depts, and their 365 brand is good. Their prepared dishes are also decent, but I've gotten ill from their hot foods bar in Sandy Springs several times, so I won't buy those anymore. For everything else, it is incredibly overpriced. I can often get the same organics at Kroger for much less. TJ's store brand is fantastic and I've loved everything that I've tried. I really enjoy their seasonal items, especially around the fall (pumpkin!) and winter holidays. Their frozen section is fun to go through because it's not overwhelming and it has different items than what Kroger and WF has. We are also big fans of their seaweed snacks (random, I know) and I always buy wine there. Sure, if you buy their 2 Buck Chuck, you'll get what you pay for, but my husband is from Spain so they have great Spanish wines (which are fantastic!) at affordable prices. I also like their sangria, which is great in the hot weather. I'm sure I'll think of more later... FM has great meat and baked goods, but I usually only go there for a special occasion, not for day-to-day shopping. I hope Smyrna gets either a TJ or a WF (if you don't have one already)!
Mike May 30, 2012 at 02:40 pm
Thanks I meant Riverwood :D
Mark Gardiner May 30, 2012 at 04:52 pm
I bet Smyrna will welcome TJ's the way my home town of Kansas City did, but what's really interesting is just how it managed to create a cult of devoted followers. After 20 years in the ad business, I went to work for this obsessively secretive company in order to learn how it built one of America's most valuable brands, without advertising. The result is my book, "Build a Brand Like Trader Joe's". If you're curious about Trader Joe's, or just a fan of the brand, you'll get an inside account of a year 'before the mast' as a Trader Joe's Crew Member. There's more info on my web site, TraderJoesSecrets...
Steve Malone May 30, 2012 at 06:15 pm
We would love to have Trader Joe
's in Smyrna! The East Cobb store is too far away and the traffic is conjested over there.
LK May 30, 2012 at 06:38 pm
Would prefer Whole Foods over TJ's. Or even a Fresh Market or that Publix Green Market that has been talked about.
Michael Packer May 30, 2012 at 07:51 pm
Trader Joe's is great. I'm excited to be moving to a part of town that has one right down the street. Sounds like Smyrna might need to start courting someone else, though! Nice one Sydney.
L. Davis May 30, 2012 at 08:52 pm
I'm in retail at the executive level. The best example I've seen of persuading a retailer to locate in a certain area was a petition that was sent to the highest level.
Trader Joe's Co. 800 S Shamrock Ave. Monrovia CA 91016 T # 626-599-3700 F # 626-301-4431 Dan Bane Chairman & CEO Doug Rauch Pres Charles Pilliter SVP Operations It's been aggressively adding stores along the corridor between Boston and Washington DC. It's also expanding into new markets including Florida, Texas, and upstate New York. (The Albrecht brothers of the ALDI chain bought it in 1979.)
Sydney Busby (Editor) May 30, 2012 at 09:00 pm
Good info, L. Davis!
David Whited May 31, 2012 at 01:23 pm
As a Smyrnan, I'd be happy with an Aldi on every corner.
Rufus Wienerhammer May 31, 2012 at 02:31 pm
I get most of my food from foraging and farming but would definitely make a trip to Trade Joe's if one was available!
Michael L. Gibbs June 1, 2012 at 06:38 pm
We would love to have a Trader Joe's closer. We love Trader Joe's....
Lissa K. June 1, 2012 at 06:51 pm
If all of the contact info in Davis' post is correct got directly to the company. They're privately held and secretive but they're still in the business to make money.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Smyrna-Vinings Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Atlanta Glamdoll June 15, 2013 at 07:04 pm
Are these the apartments that were once called "Garrison Plantation"?
Lissa K. June 15, 2013 at 09:32 pm
This is Garrison Plantation - Garrison Lakes - Lakefront Vista. I lived there when it was familyRead More owned. It went from sister to brother then sold. Changed name from Garrison Plantation (because it wasn't PC) (but no one thought about what a garrison was) to Garrison Lakes (there's only one lake) to Lakefront Vista (under new ownership.) It's a dump now. The layout and size of the apts. are great. Even the location is great. Still know some people there. But it went downhill.
MA Evans June 3, 2013 at 09:20 pm
I'd rather answer the question "How do you feel about Roswell Street Baptist Church?" MyRead More answer: can't stand it. This incident is just another in its long and bigoted history. During the anti gay lifestyle debacle it gave out copies of the 10 Commandments. That anti gay resolution drafted by Gordon Wysong and enacted by the Cobb Co. Commissioners cost the county an Olympic venue. Whenever I hear about that church I think of the OM who called the church's prominent members The Marietta Mafia!
Jim Lyon June 4, 2013 at 01:20 am
Its sad, that young people who are gay and often struggle to accept themselves as they are, faceRead More such fury and rejection by a church that preaches love, compassion and forgiveness for most but not all. No wonder many young people, the vast majority of whom are or will be heterosexual find the church increasingly irrelevant in their lives with attitudes like this.