http://jacksonville.com/business/2013-08-29/story/trader-joes-coming-jacksonville-beach (http://jacksonville.com/business/2013-08-29/story/trader-joes-coming-jacksonville-beach)
QuoteThe California-based specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's plans to open a store in Jacksonville Beach around October 2014, a spokeswoman at the company headquarters told the Times-Union.
While the date and location haven't been absolutely finalized, she said it will open "in time for the holidays" and will be in the area of J. Turner Butler Boulevard and Third Street.
South Beach Regional Shopping Center, a rumored site, is at 3980 Third St. S., north of the intersection of State Road A1A and Butler. Equity One Inc. owns the center, whose stores include Home Depot and Stein Mart. Leasing agent Sandy Perez did not return calls seeking comment.
The closest store is in Gainesville. One is under construction in Tallahassee, scheduled to open this year. The first store in Florida opened in February of last year in Naples, while the second opened in Sarasota in September.
Trader Joe's, founded in 1958 in the greater Los Angeles area, has more than 400 stores, according to Internet sources. Most locations average between 8,000 and 12,000 square feet. Trader Joe's describes itself as "your unique grocery store" and is known for its Hawaiian-shirted employees. Its products include gourmet, organic, vegetarian, imported, alternative and unusual frozen foods; staples; produce; and domestic and imported wine and beer.
Trader Joe's stocks about 4,000 items, 80 percent of which are its own private labels, often named in a take on the food's ethnicity, such as Trader Jose's (Mexican food), Trader Ming's (Chinese food) and Trader Giotto's (Italian food).
I still say that is a strange location for them. A centralized location in Riverside or somewhere near there would have been much better. Where I live in Orange Park, it is almost better for me to go to the Gainesville store.
It won't be the only store...see the other thread about TJ.
The other thread on Trader Joes
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,16021.msg343701.html#msg343701 (http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,16021.msg343701.html#msg343701)