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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.
