Trader Joe's Newest LA Store Is Directly Across The Street From Another Trader Joe's

LOS ANGELES, CA — On Friday, Trader Joe's will open its newest location in Sherman Oaks, directly across the street from an existing Trader Joe's. And here's the twist — the old one isn't closing.

The new store, located at 14140 Riverside Drive, will open at 8 a.m. Friday, June 6. It's located on the ground floor of a recently constructed multi-story building, directly across Riverside Drive from a Trader Joe's that's been open for some four decades.

"We plan to keep both Sherman Oaks stores open," Trader Joe's spokesperson Nakia Rohde told Patch.

The grocer hasn't revealed why, exactly, it opted for twin Sherman Oaks locations. But company leaders last year on the Trader Joe's podcast detailed their reasoning behind a similar setup in Boston, which has two stores on the same street just five blocks apart.

One reason they cited: Having two locations near each other — especially when they're busy — can improve the customer experience.

"I think it's counterintuitive to a lot of people that we would want to diminish the business in any of our stores ... if there are too many people, customers aren't having a good time, crew members probably aren't having a good time, and that just makes the Trader Joe's experience a little bit less fun," said Tara Miller, Trader Joe's marketing VP.

Among Trader Joe’s loyalists, the logic tracks: devotion to orange chicken and dark chocolate peanut butter cups is often tested by the frustration of navigating the chain's notoriously cramped parking lots.

It's especially salient in Sherman Oaks, where the store's popularity has come with complaints about parking since the 1980s.

The new store's opening comes is a part of an expansion plan announced last year. Planned or recently opened are two dozen new grocery stores, including eight in Southern California.

The plan includes a strong focus on the San Fernando Valley: A new store in Tarzana opened May 6 and a location in Northridge is in the works, though an opening date has not yet been announced.