So, funny thing. Last week I got calls from two unaffiliated commercial realtors, both of whom said that Trader Joe's was snooping around Dallas, looking for locations here at long last. So I called the company's spokesperson, Alison Mochizuki. We exchanged messages for a few days, till finally we spoke at the end of the week. I asked if it was true that the grocer was scouting locations in Dallas. At which point she dismissed it as nothing more than a rumor -- one among many over the past 10 years. She said she'd get back to us if and when something changed.
Then, of course, a story appeared behind the pay wall this morning: Trader Joe's is headed to Texas. Houston, Austin ... and Dallas.
I called Mochizuki this morning and asked: What changed? She insists she thought I was just asking about two locations in particular -- one near Preston Hollow, another on Lower Greenville, both of which were mentioned by the two realtors -- and says the company doesn't comment on specific sites. She also says "a lot of things can change from day to day," and that yesterday's rumor could always become today's breaking news. At which point she forwarded along the following statement, which will be the company's sole on-the-record comment on the subject for now:
Dallas, and frankly the entire state of Texas, is a place we've wanted to be for a long time. We are a company that grows in a very controlled and thoughtful way in order to maintain the Trader Joe's customer experience. We're excited about bringing Trader Joe's to the wonderful cities, towns, and neighborhoods in and around Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and beyond. We are actively looking for sites and we're anxious to identify some great locations and begin hiring Crew Members.
