If you’re looking to jump in on the Delray Beach Trader Joe’s opening festivities, be well warned. A trip to this neighborhood supermarket, which opened today, isn’t for the light-hearted.
The store, located on the corner of Federal Highway and Linton Boulevard, is the first establishment to open in Delray Place (1801 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach). If you’ve been following the Trader Joe’s craze going around town for the past few months, you probably expect it to be a mad house – and, well, it is. Almost 200 people were lined up at the door before the store opened this morning, says Jeff Schall, the store manager (pictured above).
A step inside and you’ll think you’ve walked into a scene of The Little Mermaid. There’s a guy in a Hawaiian shirt and lei in the store’s northwest corner, cooing happy tunes as he taps along on his steel drum. I half-expected someone dressed in a crab suit to crawl sideways toward me and ask how I was doing under the sea.
All weekend long, there will be food sampling, giveaways, face painting and live music. Today, all customers get a reusable tote bag for free. The store will also be raffling off a bag of treats, so make sure to stop by and enter.
While this outpost is just one of many located across the country, Trader Joe’s prides itself on its neighborhood store feel. Murals of Delray Beach hotspots line the store’s walls, Pineapple Grove and the Delray Beach Tennis Center to name a few, plus surfboards, handwritten product prices and chalkboard signs.
“It’s going to feel like home when you come in,” Schall says.
Everyone in town seems to be there, from Lululemon-clad women trading in their weights for heavy shopping baskets to men in baseball caps hopping out of their pick-up trucks. Not quite surprising, considering the store’s unique items. Roughly 80 percent of stocked items are Trader Joe’s brand, which are free of artificial flavors, artificial colors, GMOs and preservatives. The store also prides itself on carrying authentic ingredients and traveling the world to find the best products.
“If you’re looking for Indian fare that tastes like something you would get in India,” Schall says, “you can come into our store and try our Indian fare, and it will be just like you’d find if you were in India.”
Not sure where to start? A few of Schall’s favorite Trader Joe’s items are Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream, Green Fin wine and Honey Mango Moisturizing Cream Shave. Also take note of the chalkboard treasure maps, which mark the locations of all your staple items like milk, bread, fruit … cookies and coffee – hey, they have the right idea – with an X.
I’m sad to report the chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels are out of stock, but rest assured that they do plan on restocking them soon.
What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s item? Let us know in the comment section below!
