Trader Joe's, the trendy California-based, German-owned grocery store, has fans nearly as devoted as that other California-based chain. So when rumors swirled that the store has plans to set up shop in Texas, hungry locals were bound to start clamoring for it to set up shop in their backyards.
Those rumors have the store settling down in the North Dallas area. It seems like a logical place for the store, famous for its Two Buck Chuck, to make its Texas debut, with its central location, affluent residents and abundant winos.
But members of the Lake Highlands community seem to disagree, and have taken to the streets in an effort to convince the company that their neighborhood is the best spot for the shop.
But is Lake Highlands a decent spot for Trader Joe's, or is there another neighborhood that might be more suitable? Like, say, yours?"We don't even know what it is," one neighbor said after he signed the petition, "but we hear from all the people that do know what it is that we want one!"
Residents want the store to anchor a new mixed-use development at the proposed Lake Highlands Town Center. The land has been vacant since 1,300 aging apartments were torn down in 2007. Streets were added as was a DART rail station, but nothing else. The city of Dallas is considering chipping in at least $27 million into the project with the hope it will jump start development.
"We want this town center to make it," said Beth Hanks.
