Trader Joe's Begins Trading in Manchester [Gallery]

MANCHESTER, CT — The much-anticipated opening of Trader Joe's took place Thursday in Manchester's Buckland Hills retail district.

The store is located at the Plaza at Buckland Hills.

Folks began lining up at 4:30 a.m. First in the queue were East Hartford residents John Riley and Frank Barnard. Riley said they didn't have any particular agenda — except maybe picking up the salmon fillets Trader Joe's is famous for — but were overjoyed at the shorter trek to the store.

Next in line were Debbie and Dominic Rutigliano of Vernon, who arrived at about 5:30 a.m. Debbie said she is a fan of the orange chicken but also confessed she thinks the trader Joe's "Cheerios" are better than the brand name cereal.

Manchester Mayor Jay Moran greeted about 50 people who were in line for the opening at 9 a.m. Store manager Jason Schwartz, who happened to be celebrating his birthday, was also outside handing out leis and rubber ducks to those in line.

The only glitch in the process was one person who was about 10th in line complaining that she didn't initially get a duck.

Employees formed a receiving line once the doors opened and applauded once customer began filing in. They also handed out bags so they could start shopping.

Work began in the spring to convert the former Eastern Mountain Sports store into a Trader Joe's. The EMS space became vacant in April, when the new owner of both EMS and Bob's Stores announced a rash of closings. Two months earlier, the previous parent company had filed for bankruptcy.

Trader Joe's is a chain of markets specializing in packaging innovative, hard-to-find foods under the store brand.

In 1958. the chain was called Pronto Markets. In '67, the name was changed to Trader Joe's and the stores became larger, the walls were adorned with with cedar planks crew members began wearing Hawaiian shirts.
The EMS space became vacant in April, when the new owner of both EMS and Bob's Stores announced a rash of closings. Two months earlier, the previous parent company filed for bankruptcy.

"Trader Joe's is a great addition to our Manchester family," Moran said. "We have done a lot recently in terms of economic development and Trader Joe's is a perfect example. It's a popular store in a great location here at the Plaza."

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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