TJ’s Support Group
The committee’s been getting a lot of its TJ’s facts from the manager of a Bay Area TJ’s who lives part-time in Fortuna. Conley said this man — who didn’t return my phone calls — moved to the Friendly City a few years ago in anticipation that he’d be managing a new Trader Joe’s there. But, said Conley, TJ’s “lost the building they wanted because another business got in before they did. And then they looked at the demographics and said, ‘Gosh, I don’t know if we can do this or not.’”
Fortuna may be too small to support a TJ’s, but the committee believes the whole county is big enough — they know people who make day trips to Santa Rosa and Redding to shop at TJ’s. And they’ve got some local support: more than a thousand signatures on a petition; people cheering on their TJ’s float in the recent Fortuna Rodeo parade; letters of support; even enthusiastic Safeway employees, said Conley.
But a call to TJ’s HQ in Monrovia yielded very little from spokesperson Alison Mochizuki, who was sweet if terse, like a chocolate-covered brick wall. She wouldn’t say how they choose a location, what they pay, or who their vendors are. To boot:
“Fortuna is not in our two-year plan for opening a location,” she said.
The committee members said they’d still shop at other local stores for the things they’ve grown fond of which, they said, TJ’s might not even carry. And, reached by phone last week, David Lippman, general manager of the Northcoast Co-op, didn’t sound too concerned about competition from a TJ’s.
“They have cool stuff,” said Lippman. “I shop there when I’m traveling. But TJ’s is very corporate. They are very formulaic. If a shopper gets in his car and drives to Fortuna to go to Trader Joe’s, they’re not going to buy Humboldt grassfed beef. We are extremely local-oriented, and many of our shoppers are interested in local, organic food. We have reduced packaging, we have a reduced carbon footprint from trucking. It’s just a different business model.”
But will the committee succeed in luring TJ’s here?
“We don’t know,” said Conley. “Here’s what I can tell you for sure. It will not happen if we don’t try.”
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FOUR Comments
Comment / By Beverly Parlet / July 31, 2009, 9:14 a.m.
I lived in San Diego for nearly 30 years before returning to my home town of Ferndale. I shopped at TJ’s all of the time and when I go back to visit SD, I go there not just to shop, but to have the TJ’s experience. I love their store! I truly believe that we have the number of people to support a Trader Joe’s coming from southern Oregon to southern Humboldt and beyond. Then we have Willow Creek and Willits. I believe that having a TJ’s in Fortuna would bring more revenue to other merchants as well. You have to get people to Fortuna to have them shop in Fortuna. TJ’s would do that. Where’s the petition? I will sign it in a heartbeat!
Comment / By How to suggest to TJ’s / July 31, 2009, 10:15 a.m.
Hi, web-site instructions are:
www.traderjoes.com Contact us Click on the stamp From the “Please select a subject” drop down menu, click “location request” Fill out form including comments. If you don’t live in Fortuna, let them know how far you’ll drive to shop at Trader Joe’s
Comment / By Party Pooper! / July 31, 2009, 12:56 p.m.
I don’t want to be a party pooper - I love TJ’s when I’m out of the area traveling just as much as the next guy or gal………….But, how about a local business! I know we have some smart business men and women right here in Humboldt who can provide us with a locally owned and operated grocery store with the same unique shopping experience! Would somebody jump on this already!
Comment / By Humboldt Expatriate / Aug. 4, 2009, 3:32 p.m.
Party pooper, I don’t believe it would be possible for a local business to replicate the Trader Joe’s experience, specifically in terms of pricing. They take a Walmart-esque approach to their vendors, demanding low prices, but providing shelf-space and exclusivity (you’ll notice you don’t often have more than 1 or 2 options per item at TJ’s). A non-chain business couldn’t promise the volume that would allow vendors to cut such prices. For those that enjoy particular items that are found at Trader Joe’s, try making a request at Wildberries, the Co-op, or Eureka Natural Foods. You’d be surprised how responsive the existing local grocers can be to customer requests. [full disclosure, I currently reside in Santa Cruz county and do a majority of my grocery shopping at TJs—love it!—also I previously worked at a (Humboldt County) food producer that supplied to TJs, but also both of my parents 30+ year employees at one of the local grocery stores.]