Photo from Trader Joe's
If you’ve ever shopped at Trader Joe’s, you truly get what a huge deal it is when a new store opens in your neighborhood. Officials in North Brunswick have just announced plans for a Trader Joe’s to open on Route 1.
Township officials say Trader Joe’s will be leasing about 14,500 square feet as part of the space that was formally occupied by Barnes and Noble. An open date hasn’t yet been set, but officials say it should be later this year. A formal announcement by Trader Joe's isn’t expected until the chain accepts usage of the property from the landlord after renovations, but town officials have begun to share the news.
North Brunswick’s Worst-Kept Secret
“I am pleased to formally announce, what may have been the worst-kept secret in town, that we are excited to welcome a Trader Joe’s grocery store to the North Brunswick community,” North Brunswick Director of Community Development Michael Hritz said in a statement.
“This is a perfect match for the work we’ve been doing to improve the character and quality of the entire Route 1 corridor,” said Mayor Francis Womack, adding that the competition for a Trader Joe’s is really tough.
The North Brunswick location will be the chain’s 13th location in New Jersey. The others are in Clifton, Edgewater, Florham Park, Hoboken, Marlton, Millburn, Paramus, Princeton, Shrewsbury, Wayne, Westfield and Westwood.
It’s no surprise that residents are so excited the grocer is coming to North Brunswick. Trader Joe’s consistently lands near the top of national lists of favorite supermarkets due to its affordable and unique offerings and friendly staff. Trader Joe’s was recently ranked third among all supermarkets in the country by Consumer Reports. Ratings were based on more than 50,000 responses about freshness, price, store-prepared foods, affordable organics and more.
Trader Joe’s Faves
The store made major waves recently after introducing its own cauliflower pizza crust. Homemade cauliflower pizza crust has been huge on Pinterest for a while; so when Trader Joe’s came out with its own ready-made version, shoppers went nuts. It’s one of many obsessions among TJ regulars. The store is also known for its frozen organic riced cauliflower, which is so much easier than making your own and still delicious.
Among the store’s other iconic faves is Speculoos Cookie Butter, which we can’t have in our house because it never lasts more than 24 hours. There are tons of TJ-branded butters, too. Trader Joe’s sunflower seed butter is a favorite in our house since my son is allergic to nuts.
And when it comes to peanut butter, there's almost nothing better than Trader Joe’s own peanut butter cups made with dark chocolate. Dark chocolate-covered bananas (in the frozen food aisle) is another favorite snack in our house.
The most recent Trader Joe’s buzzed-about item? Teeny Tiny Avocados. Yup, it’s what the store refers to as single-serve and they’re totally adorable. We could go on, but would love to hear from you instead. What are some of your favorites at Trader Joe’s? Tell us in the comments!