Trader Joes is coming to the Buffalo area

  • 2013-01-30
Despite their efforts of the Kenmore Village Improvement Society to get a Trader Joe’s store in its community, the chain chose Amherst instead. Amherst is about 9 miles from Buffalo, New York, and the arrival of Trader Joe’s there will mark the first entry of this unique store into the Buffalo area.

Kenmore worked hard to try and get Trader Joe’s to move to their community, creating a mascot named ‘Kenmore Joe’, who was featured on the village’s Facebook page holding Trader Joe’s branded merchandise, but Amherst was given the nod in the end.

Alison Mochizuki, spokeswoman for the market chain, said Trader Joe’s was “absolutely excited” to be moving to Amherst, and looked forward to joining the community. The new store will open in a 12,000 square foot facility at 1565 Niagara Falls Boulevard that was previously leased by Famous Footwear. Benderson Development will reconstruct the space to accommodate a grocery store, which will open later this year, though the exact date is still uncertain.

Trader Joe’s is a California company, so it bases some of its décor on traditional surfing motifs, as well as bringing in a Hawaiian flavor. It also incorporates local color to personalize the store to the area it serves. The Amherst location is the latest in Western New York State, which is a new market for the chain. It is a logical choice, since Trader Joe’s is popular with students, and the North Campus of the University at Buffalo is here.

Amherst officials could work with brochure printers to create materials encouraging leasing of vacant properties around the Trader Joe’s location. The new market could well be an anchor for the area.