Rumor no more: AC-T, WLOS confirm Trader Joe’s coming to Asheville on Merrimon Ave.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Rendering of the Merrimon Ave. Trader Joe’s. Found by WLOS’s Katie Killen, shared by Russ Bowen on Twitter.

It’s officially official and confirmed by the AC-T and WLOS: Trader Joe’s has purchased property on Merrimon Ave. and will build between Greenlife and the new Harris Teeter.

Ashvegas blogger Jason Sandford in his guise as an AC-T reporter has the scoop: Trader Joe’s has purchased the La Carreta Mexican restaurant on Merrimon, as well as the brick building that’s been home to New York Fashions for ten years. The Benjamin Moore store on Merrimon is also affected, and plans for the new Trader Joe’s involve all of the buildings being torn down.

From the AC-T:

Fernando Sandoval, manager of the Mexican restaurant La Carreta at 100 Merrimon Ave., said Tuesday he was notified on Monday that Trader Joe’s had purchased the property and that his business would have 120 days to vacate the premises.

“That means that our dreams are in the trash,” said Sandoval.

“That’s not much time and it means 15 to 20 people will be out of jobs,” he said. “We’ve put a lot of money into this place. It feels sad.”

Via Twitter, WLOS anchor Russ Bowen shares the news about La Carreta, the New York Fashions building, and the Benjamin Moore location.

According to Bowen, the new store will be 13,000 square feet.

Trader Joe’s plans will create a sort of grocery row in North Asheville, with Greenlife, Trader Joe’s and the new Harris Teeter all lined up at the south end of Merrimon.

Look for full coverage in Wednesday’s Asheville Citizen-Times.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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31 Comments

  1. Mike October 18, 2012

    I notice that the link to the article is dead and searching the Citizen Times for “Trader Joes” returns no results. Was this yet another rumor?

    Reply
    1. Jennifer Saylor October 18, 2012

      Mike, it’s not a rumor, it was confirmed by Trader Joe’s. The AC-T changes its link URLs and I don’t know what’s up with their search results, but Trader Joe’s coming in 2013 to Merrimon Ave, according to their press release.

      Reply
  2. Miss Daisy July 12, 2012

    Right. Traffic on Woodruff is awful. And it’s several lanes wide, and not residential.

    Reply
  3. Ct July 12, 2012

    Completely agree, gimmeabreak!
    I love TJ’s, and I am so happy to have it in Asheville now!

    For the people who say traffic is bad…have you even been to the TJ’s in Greenville? Traffic on Woodruff is WAY worse than Merrimon. A little 13,000 square foot grocery store, even bearing the name ‘Trader Joe’s’ will NOT make traffic much worse. Harris Teeter will, however. If you don’t like TJ, then why are you wasting your time talking about it. You could be out shopping at a local business or somethhing. Sure, I like some local businesses, but chain businesses are very good or better.

    Reply
  4. gimmeabreak July 12, 2012

    This is typical Asheville. FB page and petitions for years to get a TJ and then complain and moan when it happens. No, the location is not the most user friendly but I think Harris Teeter will create more problems than TJ. I for one am overjoyed to have Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. I love Starbucks and Barnes & Noble too. Local is too expense for many people to buy. Both WF & TJ offer organic food at affordable prices, and at least I won’t have to waste gas driving clear across town to shop at two different stores. All you complainers can shop somewhere else and that will help ease some of the traffic.

    Reply
  5. mtnwoman July 11, 2012

    Odd they didn’t go for that leveled large former A&P (?)space on Charlotte St between Chestnut and 240.

    Anyone know why they didn’t go there? Instead, TJ pays for the expense of tearing down buildings in a much smaller space, in an awkward traffic location.

    I’m glad TJ is coming to Asheville, but I agree, with Harris Teeter and now TJ all so close on Merrimon, traffic there is going to be a mess.

    Reply
  6. Miss Daisy July 11, 2012

    Someone said TJ’s tends to turn up near Whole Foods, but Merrimon isn’t Woodruff, and that intersection is already bad news. Smh.

    Reply
  7. Kipper July 11, 2012

    This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Trader Joe’s buying and building…. I don’t believe that the company owns any of its locations, if this is true, it will be a first.

    I’m wondering if the owners of the properties were bought out by a developer in hopes of luring Trader Joe’s to the location….

    I feel like there’s a third hand somewhere in this mix, and I’d like to know more about it.

    Reply
    1. NFB July 11, 2012

      According to the WLOS report two of the business owners who will be displaced have said the agreement involves Trader Joe’s. One even shows a lease agreement that specifically mentions TJs.

      http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wlos_vid_7918.shtml

      Reply
      1. Kipper July 11, 2012

        Very interesting…. I wish those germans weren’t so tight lipped, I’d love to know why they chose that location, and why they’re building.

        Reply
  8. maria July 11, 2012

    Wow, now all we need is another grocer next to the Shell and it will be wall to wall food shopping. How about picking another area without 6 food outlets in the near vacinity!! Talk about excess, not access.

    Reply
  9. bucket buddy July 11, 2012

    happy about TJ, but the location is HORRIBLE. how are they gonna get all that traffic going smoothly? this is a permitting fail, were there any traffic studies done that accounts for all 3 stores within a couple of blocks? i’ll be using broadway to downtown when these things are up, that’s for sure…

    Reply
  10. Lan Sluder July 11, 2012

    Will be great to have Trader Joe’s in Asheville at last, and I think the location is terrific.

    Reply
  11. Murphy July 11, 2012

    … those of you who are lamenting the demise of the local businesses … how many of you have ever set foot in those businesses?

    Reply
    1. Orbit DVD July 11, 2012

      It also reminds me about everyone complaining about Starbucks but welcoming Dunkin’ Donuts with the keys to the city.

      Reply
      1. NFB July 11, 2012

        Or bemoaning how chains are ruining downtown while munching down at Doc Chey’s, Mellow Mushroom, and Marble Slab.

        Reply
  12. Cherie Ross July 11, 2012

    As much as I love shopping at Trader Joe’s, and have longed for one in Asheville, this doesn’t seem like a great location to me. What are they gonna do about Chestnut St? Isn’t it a through street, cutting thru the planned site? What might have been better is Patton Ave., towards the west side of town. Plenty of space, plenty of road, no grocer wars. Oh well.

    Reply
  13. Ed July 11, 2012

    Still not counting my chickens… Now instead of the Motor Mile we get the Grocery Mile.

    Reply
  14. PBnJ July 11, 2012

    this will be a great area to drive in as soon as WLOS predicts any amount of snowfall.

    Reply
  15. Linda July 11, 2012

    Trader Joe’s never “purchases” property. Every store they have is leased, so there is something amiss in this article.

    Reply
  16. Sean D. July 11, 2012

    Let’s all get excited about mediocre packaged food from unknown sources!

    I hope that having them here does not harm locally-owned places like West Village Market and Deli, or even The Wine Studio or French Broad Co-op. I see enough beater cars around here belching out smoke yet adorned with “Buy Organic” etc. bumper stickers that the disconnect doesn’t surprise me. 🙁

    Reply
  17. jaybird July 10, 2012

    Well said, @grumpydad. What’s important here is that the property on which La Carreta’s and NY Fashions are located is leased to them (both of which have been successful in the past 7-10 years and minority owned businesses) and they are being closed *forcefully*, not to mention the paint store. In all the glee for 2 buck chuck, let’s not forget that we’re shuttering 3 local independent businesses, demolishing 3 existing buildings, and creating years’ worth of traffic and infrastructural headaches so that Asheville can welcome yet another “friendly” corporate presence, displacing individuals that built their enterprises from the ground up.

    Reply
    1. concerned citizen July 11, 2012

      The location of this store is absurd!! With Asheville being named in the top 10 metropolitan areas in America that suffer from food insecurity, how can we, as a self proclaimed conscious town, allow this? We have so many food deserts (low-to-no access to affordable, healthy foods) and this 100 yard stretch would now become a food swamp with three, yes three grocery stores. If allowed, this will be one of the poorest planning decisions our town has seen (next to allowing Greenlife to dump its traffic, parking and dumpsters onto the only residential street that it borders)! With Brownfield & infill sites abundant in food insecure areas, we must stand together and fight for smart growth that will create sustainable economic development, not reckless capitalism. Merrimon Ave can’t handle Harris Teeter, never-the-less this too…..And yes Jay, you are correct, this is at he expense of two, locally owned minority businesses (and “I assume” for parking, a couple minority homeowners?) which is further salt on the wound!

      Reply
    2. cayliffe (TJ' July 16, 2012

      1.Trader Joe’s isn’t throwing out three local businesses. The owners of the property decided to sell the properties. The current leasee’s may have renewed contracts with the “may sell the property” stipulation and/or the leasee’s are compensated for the displacement, as is usually the case.
      2. Trader Joe’s does occasionally buy the property it sits on.
      3. Trader Joe’s loves Whole Foods and it’s ethos. We thrive together synergistically in many locations across the US.

      Reply
    3. cayliffe July 16, 2012

      1.Trader Joe’s isn’t throwing out three local businesses. The owners of the property decided to sell the properties. The current leasee’s may have renewed contracts with the “may sell the property” stipulation and/or the leasee’s are compensated for the displacement, as is usually the case.
      2. Trader Joe’s does occasionally buy the property it sits on.
      3. Trader Joe’s loves Whole Foods and it’s ethos. We thrive together synergistically in many locations across the US.
      4. This store will bring 100-125 (+-) new jobs to Asheville. This is probably 4 times the number of jobs currently represented in these 3 businesses. GOOD JOBS with great salaries and opportunities for advancement. With full 1st class health benefits and dental after 3 months employment. A very generous employer-paid 401-k. Paid days off. Flexible work shifts. Employee discounts. Great music. Good healthy food.
      5. I would have not chosen Merrimon, it is crowded. But our stores in LA are situated like this and fit in very comfortably in highly developed areas and dense neighborhoods.
      7. As in LA, if you live within 3 miles of a TJ store, your property value just went up 10%. (I am not kidding).
      6. Trader Joe’s loves Asheville. I for one am thrilled to see all my Asheville friends finally get a store.

      Reply
  18. grumpydad July 10, 2012

    Frankly I think this sucks. Why should we be happy that they are tearing down existing buildings and dislocating established local businesses to build another grocery store?

    Mind you, I’m happy to have a Trader Joes in the neighborhood, but why sandwich it in between two other grocery stores in a two-block stretch of Merrimon. That section of Merrimon is already a traffic snarl certain times of the day, which is only going to get worse. Chestnut Street between Merrimon and Broadway is no better. Speaking of Broadway, aren’t there some large empty lots on that street?

    My prediction is that in a few years one of the three will be kaput. Then we’ll all be complaining about the vacant building becoming an eyesore and how we need a/an [insert name of trendy chain store] in Asheville to go in that location.

    Reply
    1. joeyhelwig July 11, 2012

      Agreed. Excited about Trader Joes…not so mucho Barrido Teeter. Location is TERRIBLE. Having five grocers on Merrimon is a traffic snaffu waiting to happen.

      Reply
      1. Daniel September 24, 2012

        Trader Joes will NOT be the one to go…

        Reply
  19. Vicki July 10, 2012

    Two- buck Chuck is now $3.00, still a bargain!

    Reply
  20. Orbit DVD July 10, 2012

    I’m actually excited to be able to try this $2 bottle of wine. The way some of you talk out it, it’s the most delicious and addictive alcoholic beverage out there.

    Reply

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