Madison Selectman to Residents: "Help Bring Trader Joe's To Town"

MADISON, CT — Madison First Selectman Tom Banisch has a suggestion for residents who want to see a Trader Joe's come to town: flood Trader Joe's officials with your suggestion.

When Patch asked Madison readers what business they would most like to see in Madison almost all the respondents said they would love a Trader Joe’s. A total of 65 responses were received.

Banisch saw the responses and had this to say to Patch:

"I have spoken with representatives of Trader Joe’s about locating a store in Madison and they told me we’re not a good candidate town because we don’t have a 360* radius.

"I haven’t given up , and if people reach out, maybe that would help. They can send comments to:

http://www.traderjoes.com/contact-us/general-feedback

Banisch said because of Madison's location, "the shoreline cuts the town in half, so to speak, so we don’t have a population south of that (in a 360• radius)," which is what Trader Joe's normally looks for when spotting out new locations.

But, the first selectman is imploring residents to give it a shot - to let Trader Joe's know they'd like to see a store come to Madison.

When Patch asked residents what type of new business they like'd to see in Madison here is a sample of the suggestions from Madison residents:

"Trader Joe's please." "Trader Joe's."

"Trader Joe's and a general store like marketplace in Guilford."

"Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, a good bread/pastry shop."

"Trader Joe's!!! A definite!"

Target also received several votes too.

Patch asked Madison Economic Development Commission Chairman Ryan Duques his thoughts on the responses.

Here is what Duques had to say:

“Asking, 'what businesses do we want to see in Madison?' is an important and fun question to brainstorm about.

“At the Economic Development Commission, we often hear residents desires for things like more restaurants, Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Of course, the town cannot simply request one of these businesses locate in Madison, but EDC can help to craft vision studies and support specific applications that come before Planning and Zoning to help facilitate certain businesses that require regulatory assistance.

“However, it is equally important that new businesses and their infrastructure are a good fit for the quality of life that our community enjoys, which is an asset that we have over other towns that have allowed seemingly unrestricted big-box and chain store growth.

“Residents that are dedicated customers of specific retailers, not located near Madison should also consider reaching out to directly to those companies, letting them know that residents in our area would support their business.

“The EDC is going through its five-year strategic planning process now and we would welcome any resident's thoughts on how Madison embraces our unique assets while continuing steady and stable grand list growth. I can be reached at: Ryan Duques, EDC, 8 Campus Drive, Madison, CT 06443 or attend a meeting at Town Campus, Meeting Room A, 7:30pm, the second Thursday of each month.”

Photo by Jack Kramer