If you have a Facebook account, I demand this instant that you log in and join the group "Bring Trader Joe's to Kansas City, Missouri!" The only requirement for joining: You must be in the Kansas City, Missouri, network. Currently the group sits just shy of 3,000 members.
That's an important number. It proved to be how many signatures Nashville's petition received before Trader Joe's listened and opened up in the Music City less than two months ago. The Nashville petition started in August 2007, and it took 15 months to gather 3,000 signatures. "Bring Trader's Joe to Kansas City, Missouri!" has been active for less than a year.
The group was started by Rachel Perry Hanses, who said she started shopping at Trader Joe's when she was 6. "My mom and I would drive an hour to go to the TJ in Los Angeles. I recall sitting in my yard eating peanut butter pretzels." Although she has e-mailed Trader Joe's numerous times, Hanses said the company has never responded.
Maybe it will when 3,000 of her closest friends weigh in.
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Hell Yeah girl. I need it in Overland Park too. It just works. I would be fine with Leawood too.
Ummm excuse me but MO is terrible. Really what does it have? The Missouri river? And you think anything there is a site to see? REALLY!!!!! GO KS!!!
Hey I think it has to be in KS. Come on we all know that KS is sooo better than MO. WHo likes people from MO. I think Olathe or Overland Park. Make a descision someone.
Having lived in Souther California, I am a fanatic Trader Joe's fan. Since there are like six locations in St. Louis, seems like they could build at least one in the Kansas City area. We take the truck to St. Louis and stock up at least a couple of times a year. I think it should be located out South, where it's easily accessible to Johnson County residents, only build on the Missouri side so that "adult beverages" may be sold.
No reefers (refrigerated trucks) from Chicago to KC? My fiance drives reefers all over the country. Sounds like an excuse to me. Oh well. If they don't want our money, that is their loss. Though I am currently enjoying a bag of TJs Pita Chips, I am not suffering enough to grovel for them to come here. Whatev.
Before all of you wet yourself in excitement you should know that the reason Trader Joe's has not come to KC yet is that it is too far from their nearest warehouse (Chicago) for refrigerator trucks to travel. For them to set up in KC it will take more than just a store or too. They have to set up a new distribution warehouse and that will require there being enough markets in the region for them to serve (Wichita, Columbia, Lawrence, Topeka, etc). So, you better expand the geographic scope of that facespace group.
Waldo would be the perfect location. It's a hip area that is growing by leaps and bounds and it's centrally located. You can get to it from 435, 71 and State Line.
Waldo would be the perfect location. It's a hip area that is growing by leaps and bounds and centrally located. You can get to it easily from 435 or 71 or State Line.
I was in LA and brought back half a suitcase full of stuff. There were two TJs within a mile of my brother's house in the valley. We're headed to Milwaukee in a month and I am glad we are driving so I can bring a bunch back. If I will do that, I will drive to Midtown for TJs even though I am a suburban Kansas-side mom. Stocking up is stocking up and Midtown is closer than St. Louis!
I visited Trader Joe's regularly when I lived in Seattle. I drive from Harrisonville up to the Whole Foods at 95th and Metcalf. I'd be willing to drive to a TJ's in KC. Trader Joe's has incredible food, a great selection and it's inexpensive! They would undersell Price Chopper and Hy-Vee in a heartbeat. Please, please bring a Trader Joe's to KC! I miss the flavored flat bread!
I'd drive anywhere up to 2 hours at least for a TJ's (Hell, we drive to STL for TJ's now twice a year for TJ's and other fun!)
I'm a FB member and I'm plugging for a TJ's WHEREEVER it ends up in the metro area.... it will be worth the drive, even North of the river or OP if needed!!!
LT
For those of you outside the area, it's very easy to join the movement. Go to your Facebook settings, then networks, and find the Kansas City network to join. A friend in St. Louis who is planning to move here did that and it works! Maybe when we surge to 5,000 TJ's will return calls...
Okay - who really cares where it goes? Just bring it here! Anywhere in the area is closer than St. Louis. And there are plenty of us northlanders, and a lot of us in Liberty, that do travel outside of a 10 mile radius. LOL - I know...shocking. And, I doubt their only customers would be the 3000 of us on FB. So for those of that like to get out and about - a few miles isn't going to stop us. Come on TJ's!
I live in Olathe, so I'm bummed to learn that it would go on the Missouri side. That would be quite a drive, but it would be worth it every once-in-awhile! I'm still a member of the facebook group!
It certainly would be a shame if they put it in a location where none of the 3000 of us don't live near. I mean, I certainly would still drive to it if it was down south but seriously, if we've been begging this long for TJ, then by all means, put it near us. Maybe we need to give zip codes or city locations with our signature as well.
I agree that Midtown or Downtown/River Market would be such a great location! I live in River Market and to find any health food anything I have to drive really far. Nothing is close or convenient when it comes to grocery stores. The new Consentino's went up this month but they are a small store with a limited selection.
Aren't we being a little picky? I mean, KS is out of the question, I can't imagine going to a party at someone's house I don't like without a bottle of 3 buck chuck, but hell, I'd drive 45 minutes just to get ahold of those mysterious QUARTS of Ben & Jerry's TJoe's had for $4 when I lived in Chicago. And I walked 45 minutes to get there. In the Chicago Winter. To buy ice cream.
It would be mighty nice if it was in midtown, though.
Just to connect some dots: the Facebook group is limited to members of the Kansas City, MO network. In my experience, living in Columbia MO and Bloomington IN, many many people are willing to drive an hour or more to make a 'Trader Joe's run'. Sometimes shopping for more than one person. Many of the previous commenters make reference to trips to other Trader's Joes. So, I'd think that TJ's could add a few hundred or thousand folks from Lawrence, Maryville, Warrensburg, etc. etc. that would probably make trips into Kansas City.
Word is TJs only opens stores in threes. that said, with no KAnsas stores. your locations would be plaza, westport, or downtown; 135th and stateline; and/or Indy or zona rosa. Northland would fail because,face it, hy-vee is upscale shopping. downtown/midtown won't work because of accessibility issues, and south will sputter because it will be trendy, but like all trendy businesses do, they will build a half assed store knowing trader joes shopping bags are the only reason you are shopping there.
KCneeds, for once, show it can support a big time retail outlet before it can start to woo others.
I'm glad the group is getting attention! Rachel and I have been preaching the gospel of TJ for awhile now and I would love to see one in KC. She and I both think the old Osco at Main and Westport would be an ideal location. It's about the right size, it's historic (sorta) and it's close to both the Plaza and the Midtown/Westport crowd that would definitely frequent it. Get moving, Trader Joe's!
I really wish the facebook group would let people outside the Kansas City network join. I'm a grad student in Pennsylvania who is working in Kansas City this summer and who is returning to Kansas City upon completion of my degree, and I would love to join the group in support of a TJ's in KC.
I currently live 90 miles from the nearest Trader Joe's, and once a month I make the trek to load up on easy, healthy, and fast meals. I love the selection...and the prices.
If St. Louis can support four TJ's then certainly Kansas City can support at least one!
A Trader Joes in KC is long overdue. I have spent the last few years living in Washington, DC before moving to KC. The lack of Trader Joes and (fresh, not the grocery store stuff) Dunkin Donuts coffee are definitely the two things I have missed most. Trader Joes is healthy (but not necessarily health food), affordable, delicious, and extremely easy to prepare. This store would be a major hit in Kansas City!
I just hope this works. We're well over 3000 now, and I am mailing in my letter to TJ to show them our numbers!
I made my first trip to Trader Joe's today in Scottsdale, AZ. I have no idea why you people want one of these so badly. Nothing but hippies and old people, and the store itself is setup/looks like crap.
Trader Joe's is a pretty neat store, but I will not drive more than 15 or so miles to anything. Living in Liberty, that is pretty limiting. So I dropped my membership at Costco (18 miles) and have stopped visiting Whole Foods (20 miles or so), Dean and Deluca (whatever miles), and any place south of Westport. We are so spread out here. Any chain has to open more than one store to grab the whole metro population. Meanwhile, I'll occasionally visit the store in Brentwood (250 miles) when I visit our family.
It will, however, almost certainly be on the east side of State Line Road. They may want to locate in Missouri for Missouri liquor laws, but they want to be close to Kansas for Kansas money. Although I'd love to seem the opening in one of the vacant store fronts around the River Market, I predict they will be more likely at a shopping center like the one at 135th and State Line.
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