Ahoy at Last!

During opening week, a storm of shoppers made it look like the Twin Cities was on the verge of a natural disaster. Shelves emptied as fanatics stocked up, while rookies apprehensively left with a mere bag of wasabi peas. Having grown up with Trader Joe’s (which was founded in my native California in the late 1950s), I can see why the store comes off as a little quirky. Managers are called captains, grocers wear Hawaiian shirts, and the whole beachy pirate vibe can make you feel trapped inside a Jimmy Buffett song. But once you fill your cart with healthy groceries and hear the total at checkout, you just might start singing “Margaritaville.”

For ten bucks, a family gets an entire ethnic dinner (Mandarin orange chicken stir-fry, $4.99; Jasmine rice, $2.99; Thai green beans, $2.29) and foodies can pick up a killer 3.5-pound New York cheesecake for $9.99. About 80 percent of the goods are under TJ’s private label, which promises no additives, preservatives, or color. Highlights include BBQ chicken pizza, chai tea latte mix, tamales, spreads, organic polenta, and almond butter—an array that appeals to both the gourmet and granola crowds.

Each location takes on a local persona, ours has hand-drawn “Joeshay Tower” and “Surf Calhoun” signs. Some find it cheesy—but who cares when you get three crotins of Chevre for under $5. There’s fresh produce, meats, poultry, and fish, plus vitamins, pet food, and flowers. Costco-goers will find no bulk items here—except, of course, cases of Charles Shaw wine, the legendary “two-buck chuck” that retails at $2.99 a bottle.

4500 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, 952-285-1053