Following the wildly successful opening and current state of specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's in Sarasota late last year, the rumors of a new Trader Joe's location in Tampa began to swirl. The evidence became more concrete with a mention of a new Trader Joe's earlier this week at a Westshore Alliance Development Forum, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The mention came from Jason Donald, of the Cushman & Wakefield real estate firm, who stated, "It's rumored that Trader Joe's has found a site along Dale Mabry," but didn't elaborate due to confidentiality agreements, the Times reports.
Spokespeople from Trader Joe's refused to comment, but speculation like this is surely better than none to those anticipating a new Trader Joe's location set for South Tampa.
Much like Whole Foods and other alternative-minded grocery stores, Trader Joe's began as a small store in California before expanding nationwide with specialty items including their notorious Two Buck Chuck bottles of wine.
If true, the new Trader Joe's site will be located where the Shapes gym on Swann Avenue near S Dale Mabry Highway now resides.
The current owner of the property, Elliot Raj has filed an option to buy the property according to Hillsborough County records, but would not confirm if Trader Joe's has chosen the building, the Times reports.
If, and when, it's opened the Trader Joe's in Tampa will be the grocery store's fourth location in the state joining previous stores in Naples, Gainesville, and Sarasota.
Trader Joe's currently operates 370 stores in 34 states across the U.S.
We'll keep you updated as more new arises.
