Trader Joe’s doesn’t talk to the media, so we have to rely on whatever info dribbles out of the cracks. [See below.] In late April, someone working on the Soho store said it would be ready in two weeks; a few days later, the word was mid-May. Now, for the first time, we have an actual date. “I live in Hudson Square and happened to walk by as they were installing the sign,” says B. “The guy walking out of the space told me that the grand opening is scheduled for May 18.” The specificity lends a certain credibility; I wouldn’t be surprised if the store soft-opened a day or two earlier. You can try keeping an eye on the Store Openings page on the company’s website. As always, please share any intel by emailing tribecacitizen@gmail.com or texting 917-209-6473. Anonymity guaranteed.

As for the big retail space at the corner of Sixth and Spring, there’s apparently no tenant yet, but presumably someone will be tempted by the possibility of being next to Trader Joe’s.

UPDATE: Trader Joe’s does talk to the media! A representative reached out to me after this was posted, taking issue with the statement at the top. (There’s no media contact info on the company’s website, or even a corporate phone number; you have to submit an email via the “general feedback” form, which in my experience never works, but she said it would have worked in this case.) Anyway, she confirmed the grand opening date of May 18.