Trader Joe’s has new store’s opening date

Coral Springs location will be up and running at end of this week

Shoppers in northwest Broward County, the day you’ve been waiting for is almost here: On Oct. 30, you finally will have a Trader Joe’s to call your own.

No longer will you have to drive to BocaRaton, Davie, Fort Lauderdale or Pembroke Pines toget your big Belgian chocolate bars, your fancy cheeses, those blue tortilla chips and of course, your dirtcheap wine.

Long sought by shoppers in the area, the new store is occupying roughly half of the building that was the longtime home of Barnes & Noble in the retail center at The Walk on University.

Barnes & Noble vacated the space in February while asking loyal patrons to send emails to its corporate office supporting an eventual return. But the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on hold indefinitely, said Charlie Ladd, a Fort Lauderdale based real estate agent representing the building’s owner, Amera Group.

“The rent levels they’re comfortable with are not rent levels that are feasible for that space,” Ladd said.

But he called Trader Joe’ s opening “great news” for Coral Springs, adding he’s been trying for five years to convince planners at the company to build a store in the city.

The Monrovia, California-chain — now with more than 500 stores in 42 states — bypassed northwestern Broward for years as it opened nine locations that served just about every other region of South Florida.

But in June, the chain confirmed that it was coming, gladdening hearts of loyalists clamoring to get their own Trader Joe’s built amid the city’s busy retail corridor. The new store is at 2796 University Drive.

A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony will precede the store’s 8 a.m. opening on Oct. 30. Afterward, the store will be open seven days a week from8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. hour will be reserved for seniors.