Some took the day off from work; others showed up in uniforms before starting their shifts. All just wanted to be there when Trader Joe’s came to Davie.
The popular grocer opened its latest store Friday at 2296 S. University Drive, in the Tower Shops shopping center.
Carrie Wilson, 58, made it to the store at 6:05 a.m., early enough to become the first of about 50 people in line eager to shop for the chain’s assortment of more than 3,000 organic, quirky and low-cost products.
The store officially opened two hours later, when Wilson used large scissors to snip Trader Joe’s signature, ceremonial lei.
“It’s great to have them in the community,” said Wilson, who lives in Davie and plans to drive often to Trader Joe’s instead of Wal-Mart or Publix for fruits and vegetables.
Mark Noble, No. 2 in line after showing up eight minutes later than Wilson, stopped by the store before starting his shift at Target. He was there for just one item, the apple cider vinegar, but planned to return later.
“I love their food. It’s good quality,” said Noble, 57. “And their prices beat Whole Foods.”
The Trader Joe’s in Davie is South Florida’s seventh since the chain entered the region October 2013. Other grocery stores also have been expanding across South Florida, hoping to capitalize on the region’s growing population and improving economy.
Whole Foods Market recently opened a store in Davie on the other side of University Drive, across from the new Trader Joe’s. Whole Foods’ growth includes openings this year in Miami, Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach. Other chains such as The Fresh Market, Tunie’s and Lucky’s Market also have opened or plan to open stores this year and next.
At Trader Joe’s, shoppers who are trying to eat healthier said they were excited to see more stores popping up in their neighborhoods offering organic food at affordable prices.
“We don’t want to spend our whole paychecks on four items,” said 30-year-old Plantation resident Shayla English.
Men and women, young and old, roamed Trader Joe’s aisles Friday pushing overflowing red shopping carts or bracing against their chests bags of Gala apples, jars of cookie butter and a variety of other items they seemingly hadn’t planned to grab.
“Oh wow, let’s try that,” David Jakubowicz, 56, told his sister as they navigated a drinks aisle and spotted a bottle of green and white tea with mint.
Another Trader Joe’s is scheduled to open Oct. 15 at 1560 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. It will be one of the anchors for a new shopping center under development called 1600 Commons.
The Fort Lauderdale store will be the 17th Trader Joe’s in Florida. The California-based chain has more than 400 stores across the country.
, Twitter @MiriamValverde
