GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — The long-awaited Trader Joe’s market in Germantown will open in early September, company representatives said Tuesday.
The store will announce an exact date later this week. Trader Joe’s trademark sign recently went up on Exeter Road.
The Germantown location has been planned since 2015 and has been the subject of a social media campaign to come to the Memphis area.
“It feels like years in the making,” said Ed Brundick of Germantown. “I used to shop at this when it was Kroger but I’ve seen the transition and I’m looking forward to opening.”
Margaret Manifold manages Pure Barre, a fitness boutique that shares a parking lot with the new grocery store. She says Trader Joe’s will be good for business, in more ways than one.
“We focus on healthy lifestyles,” she said. “It’s such a great place for healthy eating — picking up things at a great price point.”
The store is hiring about 70 new employees, and is looking for people in the area who are passionate about food, the company representative said. She said hours would be based on employees’ availability.
The chain is known for low prices and unique healthy offerings, but to take advantage many Memphians will have to drive or take the bus to Germantown. The new store is accessible via MATA Route 50, which goes up and down Poplar from downtown to Exeter.
“Certainly it’ll be inaccessible to some Memphians, but the people most likely to frequent Trader Joe’s are probably living in the general area,” Brundick said.
Manifold said many people who work in Germantown live in Memphis and travel back and forth, so the location shouldn’t be a downfall for them.
She’s focused on what the Mid-South is gaining with the new store.
“When people visit, ’cause I’m not from Memphis, they say, ‘Oh y’all don’t have a Trader Joe’s?’ We have one in Birmingham. It’s one of those things, it’s becoming more a complete city, a destination you can get everything you want out of.”