By Gus Saltonstall
The Upper West Side Trader Joe’s at West 72nd Street and Broadway is set to temporarily close in May, according to a new sign at the entrance to the store.
The popular grocery store at 2073 Broadway will shutter on May 17 due to “major renovation plans.”
“We will be temporarily shutting our doors,” the sign reads. “We promise not to be gone too long & will reopen as soon as we can. Our last day open will be May 17. This is not a goodbye but a see you later!”
A spokesperson for Trader Joe’s told West Side Rag in an email on Thursday morning that the West 72nd Street Trader Joe’s closure will last for “several months.”
“We will be updating a lot, including refrigerations and vertical transportation,” Nakia Rohde, a Trader Joe’s spokesperson, wrote to WSR. “All the changes are to improve the in-store experience for our customers and Crew.”
Rohde added that “some of your favorite Crew Members [Trader Joe’s employees]” will continue to work for the grocer at surrounding stores.
The West 72nd Street Trader Joe’s temporary closure is not a complete surprise.
Beginning in at least September of 2025, the Rag has received emails from locals mentioning that a clerk or manager at the store said the outpost would be closing for renovations in the near future due to needed renovations.
“A store manager told me the other day at the Trader Joe’s on 72nd Broadway that it will be closing in its entirety to replace all the escalators, elevator and remodel the store,” a reader wrote to WSR on September 18, 2025.
Over the past two years, the escalators at the West 72nd Street Trader Joe’s have been out of commission repeatedly, which we have reported on.
The Rag has reached out to Trader Joe’s multiple times in recent months to get more official information on the impending closure, but never got a confirmation on the closure or additional details until Thursday.
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This may or may not be accurate, but I was at one time told that this is the busiest Trader Joe’s of all Trader Joe’ses (sp?) anywhere. And, that the Columbus & 93rd was the second busiest of all. This will be “interesting”.
It’s the worst store layout I’ve come across, especially given the age population of the UWS.
Good news. New escalators are way overdue!
worst news ever omg
It will be really interesting to see how they change the layout of this store, as it definitely makes the least sense of any TJ’s I’ve been to (I’ve been to all the TJ’s in Manhattan and some in BK) – at the same time, they can’t change the fact that it’s 2 levels, which is the trickiest part of the puzzle.