Trader Joe's, the grocery store with very specific food offerings and very tiny aisles in which to navigate in order to find them, can be considered a cultural marker for a city or neighborhood. To have a Trader Joe's is to have a community interested in specialty foods, values organic produce, and also doesn't have a problem paying $3 for a bottle of wine every now and again.
Right now in Seattle you'll find five Trader Joe's in Seattle. Queen Anne, Ballard, U District, Capitol Hill, and The Junction. One region that's not getting solid Trader Joe's coverage is South Seattle and one neighborhood is trying to change that: Rainier Beach.
That's why they created WeWantTraderJoes.com, which is about exactly what it says it's about.
In the video, Rainier Beach locals share their thoughts on why they'd like to see Trader Joe's nearby rather than have to schlep so far to other areas in order to shop there. One person even says that he believes Trader Joe's improves any neighborhood it opens a store in, a claim that Zillow backs up.
Specifically, Zillow found that homes grow more rapidly in value if they are closer to a Trader Joe's or Whole Foodsi. Between 1997 and 2014, homes near the two grocery chains were consistently worth more than the median U.S. home. By the end of 2014, homes within a mile of either store were worth more than twice as much as the median home in the rest of the country.
They're not shouting into the wind, either. Trader Joe's asks people to recommend new location ideas. So far, the grocery chain hasn't commented on the possibility but the more support the campaign drums up, the more likely they'll be to notice.
· Seattle's Rainier Beach Neighborhood's 'Love Letter' To Trader Joe's [KPLU]
· Homes Near Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Stores Appreciate Faster [Zillow]
· We Want Trader Joe's [WWTJ]