Yes, Virginia, there IS a Trader Joe

While living in Sandy Springs, a suburban area adjacent to Atlanta, GA, we experienced excitement throughout our neighborhood when Trader Joe’s moved into a space, right up the street, that had previously been occupied by Kiddie City. I don’t remember the exact year the store opened, but spreading neighborhood events via e-mail was not yet popular so we heard about the new store at garden club meetings, during daily walks and over the phone. People raved about the store’s frozen shrimp, 2-Buck Chuck and its multitude of flowers.

The above image is of the first Trader Joe’s store which opened in Pasadena, California, in 1967.

An October 20th article in The New Yorker, written by Carrie Battan, promotes the story of Joe Coulombe, founder of the grocery chain named Trader Joe’s. It seems that Coulombe wrote his memoirs but never got them published. After his death in February of 2020, travel writer Patty Civalleri obtained Coulombe’s manuscript, edited it a bit and then published it. Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys is the name of a memoir that not only is a business guide but is also very entertaining, filled with stories told by a man who worked hard and knew the business. Carrie Battan writes that Coulombe’s “fun-fact-laden business tales” are quite colorful.

I know someone I might give this book to for Christmas! First, however, I will probably read it. After all, I love to go to Trader Joe’s.