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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Trader Joe’s to open second Spokane store

Prospective employees fill out applications for the Trader Joe's store in Lincoln Heights in September of 2011.  Trader Joe's reported receiving over 2,500 applications for the store that opened in October of 2011. (The Spokesman-Review)
California grocery retailer Trader Joe’s plans to open its second store in Spokane next year, taking space at the Franklin Park Mall. The popular Southern California-based company has leased 12,000 square feet in the north Spokane retail mall at 5420 N. Division St., said company spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki. In October 2011 the company opened its first Eastern Washington store in the Lincoln Heights shopping area. Almost cult-like interest in the store’s arrival peaked in the months before the formal Trader Joe’s announcement. A “Bring Trader Joe’s to Spokane” Facebook page gathered more than 21,000 “likes” from fans who pleaded with the company to add a store here. The South Hill store’s success has prompted rumors for the past 12 months that a second location would be coming. Until Tuesday, the grocery chain had denied plans for a second store in Spokane. Trader Joe’s opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California. The chain opened its first location outside of California in 1993 and now has more than 415 stores in the country. Trader Joe’s will move into roughly half the space now used by Rite-Aid at Franklin Park Mall. Rite-Aid is moving next year to a pad building near Burlington Coat Factory on the same block, said Carmen Decker, real estate director in Washington for Kimco Realty. Kimco Realty is a New York-based real estate investment trust company that owns numerous shopping areas across the nation. The second Spokane store will be the 23rd Trader Joe’s in Washington. The company also plans to open a new store in 2015 in Shoreline, Washington. Mochizuki said the plan is to open the new Spokane store in the second half of 2015. She declined to comment on whether Trader Joe’s would add a regional distribution center for Eastern Washington. Spokane developer Dave Black said the first Trader Joe’s had a huge impact on the Lincoln Heights area, and expects the same positive benefit in north Spokane. “Trader Joe’s has a cult-like following that will be great for that shopping area and the north side of Spokane,” Black said. Decker said tenant improvements in the 12,000 square feet space will be shared by Trader Joe’s and Kimco.