This Trader Joe's Shares Space With A Veterans' Museum
Trader Joe's has been a much-loved grocery store since its inception back in 1958. It all started when a man named Joe Coulombe purchased a grocery store chain in California that same year. Nearly a decade later, he decided to open the first Trader Joe's in Pasadena, California, according to The Tennessean. From there, the brand grew, with an average of one new store opening every year. By 1988, the year Coulombe retired, there were 19 Trader Joe's stores in existence.
Today, that number has grown tremendously, with more than 500 Trader Joe's stores around the country. The brand currently operates in 42 states, and it differs from traditional grocers in that the locations are generally smaller and carry Trader Joe's extremely popular branded products. The Tennessean also reports that Trader Joe's does not offer any coupons or promotions, nor does it have membership cards, which is unlike most other national grocery chains.
On top of the all the ways Trader Joe's, as a company, differs from traditional food retailers, one particular location has its own distinction that makes it even more unique.
One Trader Joe's is in the same space as a veteran's museum
Most Trader Joe's stores are substantially smaller than the typical grocery chain. And when Trader Joe's wants to open in a sought-after location, it sometimes needs to take whatever space it can get.
One of the most unique Trader Joe's locations is in Media, Pennsylvania, where it shares its space with a well-known veterans museum. According to the Trader Joe's website, the Media location is housed in the Armory of the 111th Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard, which is historically preserved. In the basement of the Armory, below Trader Joe's, sits the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum, which says it aims "to tell the untold stories of our history, and to preserve the past so future generations can continue to learn from it." That means TJ's shoppers in Media can not only pick up their essentials, but also take in some of the state's history all at the same time.
The Media TJ's location isn't its only unique spot. Its Back Bay location in Boston, Massachusetts is the smallest Trader Joe's on record — it only has enough room for one single line of customers waiting to check out.