The long awaited Trader Joe’s officially opened Friday, October 11, 2013 on Niagara Falls Blvd. While not officially in the city of Buffalo, landing the supermarket is a telltale sign of good things to come. Without question, many food-lovers will be over-the-moon (just take a look at the lines on opening day), and others will say the market’s presence will have negative effects on the region (mainly the city’s beloved Wegmans).
Specialty national chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Markets have passed over the Buffalo area for years. They are very picky about where they land and target locations that will bring them success – and having a hometown hero such as Wegmans has got to make breaking into the market tricky (or so I have heard). Having this market open now shows that we are a growing community that demands variety and will support it. Hopefully the central location they have chosen first will satisfy the northern neighborhoods of Williamsville, Amherst, Tonawanda and North Buffalo. In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before they will expand, as they have in every other city, and quite possibly to an urban location. Frankly, closer to downtown would be a perfect place for another market.
I have recently relocated to Buffalo, NY from Seattle, WA and am very familiar with Trader Joe’s. As a chef, both in Buffalo and in Seattle, I can say that many of the products sold there are not in my shopping cart because I love to prepare my food from scratch. Many foodies have doubts about Trader Joe’s products and turn their nose up at them. The market’s shtick is very simple and specific to them. They offer mostly products produced by their own label but specialize in bringing flavors and prepared foods to folks that would otherwise never try a falafel, curry simmer sauce, veggie puff or Israeli cous cous. It is great for the somewhat adventurous food lover who doesn’t know where to begin to cook such foods. It’s shopping made easy with fun packages for customers to scoop up in a bright colored Trader Joe’s shopping bag. The chain chose the Western NY area as an informative community that will support variety… you can be sure that Whole Foods is watching.
Trader Joe’s excels in some areas and pales in others. They don’t have terrific fresh meats and fish, so don’t go there looking for them. The produce varies but they do have a large organic presence now. However, the prepared salads, sandwich wraps, unique frozen dinners, etc. have brought them their popularity and are worth a look-see for anyone not cooking these foods themselves. Some other items that Trader Joe’s offers include inexpensive flowers, like orchids for $9.99. You can find specialty beers that you cannot get anywhere else. There are terrific toiletries available at reasonable prices. The fun variety of affordable yummy cookies and candies are also a huge seller. They have an abundance of organic pantry items, as well as a variety of unique cheeses. I am personally excited to get my favorite sheep’s milk feta cheese that I’m assuming would be tough to find in Western NY.
Of course the big worry is always, “How will the national chain affect our local superstars?” Comparing Trader Joe’s to Wegmans is like comparing apples to oranges. With the exception of apples and oranges, both stores carry very different products. Wegmans will remain the super store of Western NY, but bringing a little choice to the game might keep them on their toes even more (I hear that Wegmans in Rochester far surpasses what we have in Buffalo). I’d welcome a competition of who’s going to give us better and more. Do I see a Whole Foods truck coming down the highway anytime soon? I say, “Bring it!”
Photos: Derek Maloney