“I hope they put a Trader Joe’s there!”

It is a frequent request from people when a retail space is vacated in their local area

And popular in communities that track online comments made by residents

Like the Seattle suburb of Woodinville, WA

But another online comment will now need to make its way onto the Top 3 list in Woodinville

That is because the request of the “I hope they put a Trader Joe’s there” crowd is being met:

Trader Joe’s recently announced plans to backfill a former Rite Aid drugstore building in Woodinville

It is one of ~100 new stores opened by the specialty grocer over the past 3 years, many of which share a common trait:

They are in repurposed real estate

Trader Joe’s has backfilled former drugstores, vacant Big Box retail buildings and even completed the adaptive reuse of some unconventional spaces

Like vacant gyms

And even a former theater building

In all several hundred Trader Joe’s stores are the product of adaptive reuse and repurposed real estate

With many more on the way ⬇