With Whole Foods‘ days numbered at its current Wellesley Hills location because of its impending move to the old Star Market space on Washington Street this summer, calls for specialty grocer Trader Joe’s to fill the void are growing louder.
We’ve heard that the landlord at the current Whole Foods space wants a grocery store to fill the spot, though of course the limited parking space there is a challenge. Businesses along that stretch of storefronts have told us they’d love to have another grocery store move in.
One Wellesley Hills resident, Mitch Fournier, this week launched a Facebook page (with the logo above) called Bring Trader Joe’s to Wellesley, MA to rally support for the idea and encourage people to fill out the location request form on Trader Joe’s website.
We filled out this form back in January ourselves and were met with this perky canned response: “Aloha and thank you for your interest in our stores. Emails have been flooding in with suggestions for new store locations in neighborhoods all over the U.S. We love that! Rest assured, every email is read and your recommendation will be passed along to our real estate folks.” Sounds like a sure thing!
Trader Joe’s already has a few relatively nearby locations, one on Rte. 9 in Framingham, another in Needham and still another in West Newton.
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Parking could be helped by a grocery store in that location creating a rear entrance from the parking lot that backs up to the current Whole Foods/Lobelia/Quebrada strip mall. Simple solution is for all businessese there to have rear entrances and the parking lot should be free, at least for an hour or two.
We definitely need a grocery store in this spot, it’s always been one, and to cross town to go to RB or WF is a nightmare. But no to TJs.
I’d rather have a “real” grocery store, with deli and meat counter. Come on people, there are already Trader Joe’s in W. Newton and Needham. Too far out of your sphere?
Trader Joes in town yes, but not at the Rt9/16 intersection. Put it in the new building Dunkin Donuts is in on Rt 9 east.
No Trader Joes, that area is a nut house as it is with people trying to park their 6 thousand pound SUV gas guzzlers in a place that has no room for anything, what ever happend to walking to the store, if the girls did they wouldn’t be so fat.
I am all for bringing in Trader Joe’s!! Wellesley Hills is at risk of losing its soul as Blockbuster makes way for a bank and who knows what happens with the Whole Foods space. I love this mini-town center because you can truly get everything you need without having to get into a car. Sure, I can get my movies via Netflix but tell me how you can get a carton of milk delivered through my monitor?
Yes, parking is tight and traffic is heavy, but there has been a grocery store operating successfully in that highly visible location for a generation.
Whole Foods made it work for 30+ years and, if they didn’t get the Star Market space, I’m guessing they’d be there for many more years.
A bank would be a bad solution for that location, as would a real estate office or another restaurant. In my opinion, a grocery store provides the greatest community value.
As much as I love TJ’s, parking at the Needham location is hard enough and that is much bigger than the location where Whole Foods is. Plus, why would they want to compete with a practically new Roche Bros and a brand new Whole Foods. I’d personally love to see another pizza place, coffee shop or bank in town. I kid, I kid.
FWIW, Trader Joe’s has their east coast offices in neighboring Needham (for those looking to write them send to 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 700, Needham, MA 02494)
I expect they’re well aware of the availability of the Wellesley space. The concerns would likely be the very limited store size and, as previously noted, the problematic parking.
No grocery store! That area can’t handle the traffic and doesn’t have enough parking. If Wellesley wants a Trader Joe’s, either put it on Rt 9 or in the old St Moritz.
Great. . .so more idiots can come barreling down the wrong way while I’m TRYING to park. Since it’s clear most people can’t figure out it’s a one way. . .how about a sign saying “wrong way” before we go ahead and put in another grocery store.