Sorry, No Downtown Trader Joe's For You, Loft Dwellers

Photo by sfxeric via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Brace yourselves, loft dwellers: there's not going to be a downtown Trader Joe's in the near future. If you want shrink-wrapped veggies and Charles Shaw wine, you're going to have to continue hiking up to Silver Lake or Pasadena for your fix.

Brigham Yen is the bearer of bad tidings. He said a downtown Trader Joe's is nowhere in the company's 3-year plan, which is a bummer since that's the grocery store downtown residents are yearning for:

This is especially frustrating to Downtown LA residents who have collectively “yelled out” loud and clear that a neighborhood Trader Joe’s is the highest on a “Downtown LA wish list” survey conducted by the Downtown Center BID. Approximately 92% of Downtown LA survey respondents rated Trader Joe’s as the main preferred grocery store they wanted to see open downtown. You would think Trader Joe’s would be clamoring to open in Downtown LA since the median income of residents is at $86,300, which is nothing to sneeze at.

However, if you're looking for a nearby alternative that is either cheaper or more ~~smug~~ sustainable than Ralph's, you're in luck. Yen reports that both Fresh & Easy's and Whole Foods are checking out spaces downtown.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Emma G. Gallegos in Food on September 23, 2011 10:30 AM

Comments [rss]

Christopher Eaton

I have contacted TJs to let them know that I'm done begging them to come Downtown, I'm done taking the subway to Hollywood to shop and lug groceries back or fighting the Prius-driving frowning crowd in the nasty parking lot in Silver Lake. Soooo, I'm organizing the first "DTLA Boycott of Trader Joe's". I'll be creating a group on Facebook in the next few days. I'm so tired of reading about yet another store opening 3 blocks from the Beverly Center.

shainLA

F&E should set up shop Downtown. i've recently become a convert after years of TJ's...more options (especially for g-free) and similar price points.

neopangaea

I like F&E too. And I like that they are defying conventional wisdom and opening in food deserts like South Central. TJ is still sticking with the strategy of locating in the yuppiest/whitest parts of town.

hN9S9

Party at RALPHS!

Dianne

Ah Downtown. . .Turn the corner and you find a piss-stained wino shitting on a car hood while an ironic-bearded wanna-be hipster transplant from Cleveland looks on; cigarette in mouth; knees shaking. It's a mixed bag Downtown LA.

Christopher Eaton

Diane, we love our homeless and our Clevelanders Downtown. And our single Asian girls, our gay boys, our badly dressed businessman, our tourists, our Pentecostals at the State on Friday nights, our drunk clubbers, our Trojans, the whole shebang. That's why we live here. You should join us. ;-)

PicoPhreako69

Yep, troodat.
Like a lot of major American cities in that respect.
Every block is different....

erp2

Hong: every article is like this. the graphic/image has NOTHING to do with the article.

Mialka

What is wrong with you? It is a picture of Downtown Los Angeles. The article is about a happening in Downtown Los Angeles. The photo has everything to do with article.

erp2

thanks bondadonna. i'm perfectly healthy/sane. and yes, down town LA is part of that image...along with a part of the mountain range in the angeles national forest, some of south central, leimert park, rampart village, midtown and THE SKY. that image says LA all over it...but not real downtown. you must be new. welcome to LA!

Mialka

First of all, the LAist images always reflect the content of the articles. Secondly, in this particular image, Downtown prominently juts out as a focal point of the image amid the sprawl and haze-covered mountains. Thirdly, by your own admission, this image contains Downtown Los Angeles, therefore, it is perfectly suitable for this excellent article about getting a decent grocery store Downtown. Fourthly, I think you misinterpreted the context of Hong's comment about the image. It looks like Hong is saying that his/her comment is not about the article, just about how nice the image is. I don't think Hong was saying the image itself has nothing to do with the article.

erp2

fithly; it is a great stock photo. sixthly, buy a sense of humor. this is just a dumb comment section and i hope downtown gets better grocery stores. seventhtly, welcome to LA, transplant. have a great weekend!

GardenGirl

ahhh, all this banter reminds me of the good old days in the 80s when half the cars in LA had bumper stickers on them that said "Welcome to California! Now go home."