Flossmoor Mayor Nudges Residents To Petition For A Trader Joe's

FLOSSMOOR, IL — Now's your chance, Flossmoor, Mayor Michelle Nelson nudged on social media this week. Nelson turned to social media to inspire Flossmoor residents to take to their keyboards in an effort to sway Trader Joe's to open up shop in the south suburb.

"It takes teamwork to make the dream work," Nelson wrote. "Please make time on your calendar to submit a request THIS week to help us get their attention!"

Nelson is suggesting the grocery store chain could be a good fit for a portion of village-owned land along Vollmer Road, to the east of Meijer, Meijer is located at 3800 Vollmer Rd.

"Over the years several of us have requested a Trader Joe's in the South Suburbs. The Village of Flossmoor, Illinois is stepping up our recruiting efforts in the areas of entertainment, dining, and shopping," Nelson wrote.

Nelson asked for residents' help in contacting the grocer via online petition. She noted key bulletpoints residents could include:

• The Meijer trade area includes a population of 140,501.
• The average household income is $93,653. T
• Trader Joe's is looking for "store sites in diverse neighborhoods throughout the country," Nelson said, and "our trade area population is 65% Black."
• The Compound Annual Growth Rate for grocery stores is expected to be 2.36% in the area from 2023-2028, which amounts to an additional $21,000,000 in sales.
• That section of Vollmer Road is approximately 1.5 miles from I-57, which has an average daily traffic count of 85,900 vehicles, and may be eligible for the special highway signage program.
• That section of Vollmer Road has an average daily traffic count of 19,200 vehicles and is proximal to a number of hospitals and medical facilities.

"Our community loves to shop at and highlight local businesses!" Nelson emphasized.

Nelson also welcomes suggestions of other key facts to stress to the chain.

Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. The chain has nearly 600 stores across the United States. The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California.