This past December ToNeTo Atlanta first reported that beloved specialty grocer Trader Joe's was looking to add as many as six new stores to the greater metro Atlanta area. At the time, only the store planned for Halcyon in Alpharetta was identified. We are pleased now to share several incredibly well placed sources tell us that another lease has been signed.
Phoenix, Arizona-based Sprouts closed its roughly 26,000 square foot store this past April after nearly eight years in business. (At the same time last year the grocer closed its nearly 30,000 square foot store in Duluth that remains vacant and available, according to Ackerman Retail, the Atlanta brokerage handling the center's leasing.)
Leasing materials for the Chastain Park center indicate that a little more than 11,000 square feet of the former Sprouts is "available" meaning the Trader Joe's will be about 15,000 square feet.
As the grocer is known for strict confidentiality requirements of both its landlords and leasing representatives, we were unable to get the Chastain Market store confirmed on the record.
The new store would be on the larger side of typical Trader Joe's - with most being between 8,000 and 15,000 square feet - and most existing Atlanta area stores in the 13,000 square foot range.
For reference, the existing Sandy Springs store is approximately 13,000 square feet while the Buckhead store is about 12,500 square feet. The two stores opened in 2006 and 2008, respectively. Also worth noting, the Sandy Springs store (6277 Roswell Road) and the Buckhead store (3183 Peachtree Road) are 3.4 miles and 3.2 miles, respectively, away from the upcoming Chastain Park store. The new store is expected to be in addition to rather than instead of any existing stores.
According to the marketing materials for Chastain Market, the center is "surrounded by the top ten wealthiest zip codes in the Atlanta MSA." Furthermore, a 2022 study by ATTOM Data indicated that homeowners do especially well when located near a Trader Joe's with significant home equity and home value increases.
Given that the space Trader Joe's will occupy in Chastain Park was already a grocer and the fact that the store tends to have less "going on" than a typical Kroger or Publix, there is reason to believe the conversion could be fairly simple. In recent weeks, interior work has started to separate the two spaces.
When it opens, Trader Joe's will join Pendolino, an upscale Italian restaurant from chef/owner Kevin Maxey which made its debut March 18. (In addition to the balance of the former Sprouts, the former Tupelo Honey Cafe space remains available to lease, too.)
Trader Joe's made news this week when it was reported that the grocer had for the first time in more than two decades, raised the price of its bananas - going from 19 cents to 23 cents - a more than 20 per cent increase. To some, the cheap bananas at Trader Joe's are like the $1.50 hot dog & drink combo at Costco. That said, and despite recent changes to Costco's CEO and CFO roles, Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal once famously said to then CEO Craig Jelinek, "If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out."
Monrovia, California-based Trader Joe's opened its first stores in metro Atlanta in October 2006. Today the company operates a total of six stores in metro Atlanta: Midtown, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Peachtree Corners, and East Cobb, with a seventh Georgia store in Athens which opened in late 2010.
The grocer currently operates more than 500 stores nationwide and has announced plans to open at least sixteen new stores in 2024 including those planned for southern cities such as Clearwater (Palm Harbor), Florida; Raleigh, N.C.; Leesburg, Virginia, and Mt. Pleasant (Isle of Palms) S.C., among others.
According to a source close to Trader Joe's, the new stores planned for Georgia, none of which have been publicly announced by the grocer, are: "in the Halcyon area of south Forsyth County," "in the Peachtree City area," 2 to 3 "in the Atlanta area," and one "in the Decatur area."
With Halcyon and one of the "Atlanta" stores identified, we are tracking details on the Peachtree City store and the Decatur store and hope to be able to share news on at least one more very soon.
If Trader Joe's does open in the above referenced locations, do you think Atlanta will have enough stores? What potential upcoming Trader Joe's store are you most excited about? What is your favorite Trader Joe's item?
Please share your thoughts below.
P.S. - Anyone from Trader Joe's who sees this, please bring back the cinnamon babka!
47 comments:
Wish they’d convert the failed Greenwise location in Marietta/Sandy Plains Rd. So much potential for that area, but they only seem to get new banks
Come to Dunwoody!
I am estatic that Trader Joe’s is coming to Chastain Square! The employees are always a delight to be around. The products are fresh and fun. It’s gonna be GREAT!!!!
The Decatur store should go in the former small format Kroger / Harris Teeter downtown.
I’m eagerly awaiting news on a store coming to Peachtree City! It’s getting really old driving 2 hours round trip to go to my nearest store.
Trader Joes clearly goes where the money is. Nothing south of I-20, nothing south of Buckhead really
Yes! Please bring back the Cinnamon Babka!!!! What were you thinking?
Exactly. This would be the best location with ample parking and a ready-to-go format. It’s obviously the best Decatur location.
Very excited about the Chastain Trader Joe's!!
Would love if they would add a TJ in the Vinings/Cumberland area. Maybe instead of the dumpy Kroger at the corner of Paces Mill/Northside Pkwy. Or else maybe in the shopping center where Party City/Hobby Lobby are.
If they turn the rest of the building into a Whatburger, a ton of your readers will jizz their pants.
We need a Trader Joe’s at Ashford/ Dunwoody in the old Kroger Store.
Trader Joe’s has the best gluten free bread, bagels and English muffins.their produce is fresh
and the staff is always happy and helpful!
Publix is expanding into the old Kroger space, Publix at Ashford Dunwoody would be available with the right size.
"Beloved", eh? I went a few times. Nothing interested me. Much prefer Publix.
I need a Trader Joe’s in Doraville, Chamblee or Brookhaven.
I wish Trader Joe's would come to the Woodstock/Towne Lake area. The demographics are certainly there.
Yes!!! 😍😍😍
Agree!!!
Chocolate babka is the best
I love the idea of Trader Joe's in the Ild Sprouts location... only reason I don't shop there more is the horrible parking lot in Sandy Springs. Ashford Dunwoody would also be great! What a wonderful choice of markets it would be!!!
Publix is going in there. I think the soon to be former Publix at Oglethorpe would be a perfect space for Trader Joe’s and an expanded CVS.
Speaking of the old Kroger at Ashford dunwoody that will soon be a new Publix with drive-through pharmacy, the gates surrounding the construction site literally went up this morning. Yay. Word has it that the liquor store will remain in place and will be cut off into its own building, allowing drive-through space for the pharmacy on that end. It would be nice to build another couple of stores perpendicular to the right of the liquor store. Oh, wait a minute, pardon me we’re in the south we don’t have liquor stores, we have package stores. That useless bit of information goes in the same drawer as scattered smothered, covered, fixin’ to, and bless your heart. That said, do these folk even know what Babka is?!?!
Many of us in the Tucker area have been hoping that a Trader Joe’s will come to our area. It would be very successful in this area!!!
Yes please!!!
Come to dunwoody- please
After failed sprouts , lidl in dunwoody- we would love to see Trader Joe’s in dunwoody please!!!
Wish we could have a Trader Joe’s in Dunwoody, GA.
Agreed. I’ll take one in North Decatur even
There's a publix right down the street on Johnson Ferry.
Are they going to close it?
Totally agree
THIS! A thousand times THIS!!!
I won't be shopping at Traitor Joe's again due to their failure to stand up for the rights of neurodivergent trans BIPOC parolees. FASCISTS!!!
Considering that it's directly between the one in Buckhead and the one 8 miles north in Sandy Springs, this is about the least exciting location they could announce for most of us. I just want something to draw traffic away from the midtown location which is straight up unpleasant to shop at sometimes.
how about putting one in Dekalb near 20/285 !
I hope they put one in McDonough GA
Even though I live relatively close to one TJs, I will never complain about another TJs opening up. I remember seeing a study some time ago that when a WalMart moved into a neighborhood, the property values decreased, but when a TJs moved into a neighborhood, property values increased. Favorite item from TJs is the coffee bean blast ice cream.
The Kroger is changing. This was reported last year that it will be torn down this year to turn into a mixed used building with condos. There was a yellow sign outside a few weeks ago filing for a hearing for a permit change
You probably never shopped there anyway. Too scared to leave your house because you might run into someone who’s not white and straight.
It's basically a guarantee that the former GreenWise will never be another grocery store (besides maybe an Aldi). Publix typically signs leases which prevent the landlord from signing over the space to any competitor even after a store has closed. I haven't specifically seen documents about that store, but I'd be shocked if Publix didn't write in a clause like this.
Yes. This all was announced awhile ago. The existing Oglethorpe Crossing Publix will be closing and moving over to the old Kroger with a completely rebuilt building.
Not Chastain Square. It’s Gateway.
THIS!
The soon to be former Michaels (former A&P) and Blue Ribbon Grill will be renovated into Trader Joes in Tucker. Deal forthcoming.
Except Northeast Plaza where they were replaced with City Farmers Market, a grocery store.
Was one of the few super markets where you could buy frozen hog jowls though. Will have to go back to Striplins now
So excited about this!
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