NEW UWS TRADER JOE’S DELAYS OPENING
Posted on August 28, 2017 at 9:06 am by West Sider
The Trader Joe’s opening at 93rd Street and Columbus Avenue, originally expected to open this year, is now expected to open in 2018. Exact date “TBD” (to be determined).
The company posted the update on its website, making it look like an exciting new opening announcement when it’s actually a delay announcement.
We have been hearing from nearby residents that progress was slow earlier this year. “I live in that building and every day I peek inside and it looks the same as it did months ago,” one woman wrote in April. In July, however things, picked up, with one tipster writing that there was “a recent large delivery of grocery store style chiller displays.”
Thanks to our anonymous loyal reader for the tip. Photo by Joe Wolf.
Not nice Trader Joe’s, not nice at all. You were supposed to be open now.
This is a bummer. Why the long delay? We are all waiting.
This is disappointing. I hope that there are no further delays.
We need one in the mid80s on the west side too!!
YESSSSS!!!!
They spent months installing structural steel to raise the main floor several feet up to sidewalk-level height – otherwise the first level would have been in a step-down hole. Can’t imagine the number of challenges that presented.
Just like the Whole Foods in Harlem which took years longer than they originally announced.
What a bunch of whiners….
It’s actually not a very good location, too far from transportation and not in a Trader Joe’s typical shopper-intensive neighborhood, imo. The walk from Broadway is a very long block. Too bad they didn’t take the space at Amsterdam and 96th which is very central and gets good foot traffic, a short block from the 96th St IRT.
I live near the 72nd street location and there are always crowds of people carrying shopping bags outside waiting for cabs and buses. I think people in the 93rd and Columbus neighborhood will be happy to walk a couple of blocks to shop, plus there is also delivery.
I disagree, I think it is an excellent location. UWSiders only have the 72nd st location, which is always packed. This is a great alternative to those of us (me) who don’t live in the venerated parts of the UWS (below 96th st), and are forced to buy products at double or more the price at WF and WSM. Come on TJ we all can’t wait for you, let’s get the show on the road…
You mean Columbus — 2 avenues from Broadway. Whole Foods is likewise on Columbus, and gets a ton of foot traffic, shoppers who are willing to walk, hail a cab etc.. Trust me, it will get a ton of traffic. The problem, is so will Columbus Avenue (the delivery trucks have to stop somewhere…)
I live on 66th Street by the Hudson river and I always walk to to Trader Joe’s on 72nd St. This is a pedestrian city. I walk all over the place. Have been most of my life here. Besides there isn’t too much on West End Ave.
I was wondering what was happening. I walked by last week and it looks like a full construction zone.
Maybe someone should call the fire dept. and complain the amount of people crowded into an essentially basement
space is a perfect scenario for a disaster if there was a
fire or smoke emergency as exits are difficult to find.
Maybe this might light a fire into getting the new store open
as soon as possible.
Huh?
Are you referring to the TJ’s on 72nd and Broadway?
With a lower price Whole Foods a few blocks away, they may be rethinking this spot.
the “lower price” WF is pathetic, except for selected fruit.
I’m sure TJs would rather open sooner rather than later. Maybe the municipal regs are messing things up?
that sounds about right….the payoffs probably are not enough
CMON!!!!!! Definitely taking their sweet ol time with this!
Aw, c’mon, Trader Joe’s, we need you!
Ahh, another generic grocery store and only a block from the house!
No more Whole Foods trash for this Upper West Sider!
Nice knowing you Dag Dag Dag…
I’m starting to get suspicious that something else besides rent is keeping our storefronts empty. Perhaps navigating construction permits, etc? I mean, the metro theatre is another space where it’s beyond my comprehension that nothing is happening there.
Over the years, 2 businesses have taken the Metro theatre space and had to pull out due to structural issues and the landmarks commission….. I think that space will remain empty forever!!!! Unless perhaps another theatre moves in!!
For some reason, our City Council and the mayor’s vision for the city is one of poverty, suppression of business, lack of commercial services, forced economic depression, homeless shelters in fancy hotels and extortion of any economic progress b y way of idiotic craven regulations. Most of the regulations are meant not to protect the public but to extort more fees, fines, surcharges etc. Because our mayor is a craven inept snake and the city council is a bunch of self-serving two-bit unemployable losers.
Wasn’t the Metro space supposed to be a gym at some point? I’m losing track of the status of all the empty buildings.
I think whoever owns the old Metro doesn’t really want to rent it. At least that’s what I’ve heard.
Owning a valuable piece of property and not trying to rent it makes absolutely no sense, unless you like getting nothing for your investment.
The likely reason nothing has moved in is because of the high costs of renovating the space into something usable to the retailer. I can imagine the owner wants some buy-in from the tenant.
I have heard from commercial brokers two things regarding that Metro space: (1) the renovation costs for what is not a retail-built space, on top of the very high Triple Net lease (tenant pays all operating expenses) makes it financially a bad deal for most tenants and (2) that block is undesirable for retail at that price.
Hey, WSR, I walked by Schatzie’s yesterday and it was closed, with DOH stickers in the windows. What’s up with that?
What about opening a Trader Joe’s in the Upper East Side. You are forgetting about us.
Please, please, please.