Trader Joe’s opened a new location at 165 Needham St. on Thursday, just in time for the holiday season.
The new location, situated in a busy area, drew a steady crowd from the moment the doors opened.
“It’s been really nice because we need the community,” said Joe Gionet, the store’s captain and general manager. “There have been a lot of people waiting a long time once they saw the Trader Joe’s sign out front.”
Within minutes of its opening, the store was jam-packed as dozens lined up, waiting to browse the new selections. With Thanksgiving and the holiday season around the corner, the store is lined with holiday specials.
“I love peppermint stuff,” customer Tessa Lewis said. “So, I always like to look for peppermint cookies.”
Other customer favorites include the chili lime chips and the chicken noodle soup dumplings, which have become staples across Trader Joe’s stores. Due to the increased number of shoppers, the store sold out of many of its snacks on the first day. Gionet assured that this won’t be an issue in the future.
“The nice thing is, we get deliveries every single day,” Gionet said. “We’re able to really keep the store nice and full. And it’s been nice the first week or so, just seeing that a lot more people know that we’re here. So we will be able to see what our kind of normal flow is going to be like after the holiday.”
The company announced the new opening last January, but only recently announced its location. Among all the upsides, there is one major concern for the new store. Customers and residents worry about traffic in an already busy shopping area as well as a lack of parking.
“It’s not so busy like today, but it actually takes a while for me to find a place to park,” customer June Li said. “It kind of surprised me a little bit because they have such a big parking lot outside.”
This new location is the second store in Newton alongside its Washington Street location. It is also the 25th store in the Greater Boston area, as the company works to meet demand.
“It’s been awesome to see what the rest of Newton wants and to be able to support some of our sister stores to help balance the load in the Greater Boston area,” Gionet said.
