Seen & Heard: Slow Start for Trader Joe’s

••• I recall folks on this site—or maybe it was a conversation I had—questioning the demand for Trader Joe’s around Hudson Square. Unlike Union Square, that area is hardly a crossroads. The store is still new, of course, but when I stopped by yesterday at 12:30 p.m., there was no line at all to check out. (So go!)

••• I hear that Home by thisopenspace has extended its pop-up on W. Broadway.

••• The Bennett is another place that doesn’t seem to water its plants. At least Brushstroke finally got rid of its dead trees.

••• Shooting today in the Church/Reade area: something called “Spring Days.”

••• The fence at Duane Park is getting a thorough painting for the first time in 20 years. Disconcerting to see it in silver (which is just the primer).

••• California Closets’s Tribeca showroom has reopened.

 

8 Comments

  1. sssh, we do not speak of the SoHo Trader Joe’s… let the masses go to Union Sq and Chelsea. It’s freakin’ paradise down here.

    • I couldn’t agree more. I love that there’s a secret Trader Joe’s downtown!

    • And the downtown delivery fee of just $6.95 makes it possible to stock up and get the items delivered later in the day.

      • I didn’t even know Trader Joe’s delivers…
        I couldn’t find this info on the web site.
        How does one place the order?

        • No online ordering – just shop in person and then they will deliver to you for $6.95 (vs carrying it home or hopping a cab).

    • TJ’s in SoHo; Bliss!

    • I agree. Maybe I’m a pushover, but to be able to amble around a TJ store as I please is a piece of heaven on earth. The stock seemed shy a few things I’d seen in other stores, and a manager told me they were taking small steps during the opening months.

      I found it nearly impossible to formulate a profile of the customers I saw there. The Chelsea and 14th street crowds show some sort of loose commonality, but I couldn’t make head or tail of this group.

      One nice thing was that there was a man who required a large, motorized wheelchair to get about, and I’m guessing this store gave him his first opportunity to experience the chain in NYC.

  2. I was one of those people questioning the foot traffic. The location just doesn’t seem like an area where a ton of people will be seeking out groceries. But lucky for those of us who are!

Comment: