Trader Joe's
Opened: 1996
We've spent a couple of days near Coolidge Corner, so now let's check out a store right at the corner. The Trader Joe's in Brookline was one of the first two to open in the Boston area, opening in 1996.
While I don't know what the space was originally, immediately before Trader Joe's it was J. Bildner & Sons, a gourmet grocer that declared bankruptcy in 1988. They continued operating for several years, though, and this Brookline location was one of the last ones that closed in 1995. Amazingly, the Bildners were actually related to the New Jersey Bildners, who founded and owned the Kings Food Markets chain of stores -- later owned by Marks & Spencer, then an investment firm, and now Albertsons Companies.
This store is about 18,000 square feet, and has two storefronts -- one facing Beacon Street in the front and the other facing the parking lot in the back.
Inside, it's a pretty standard Trader Joe's, but it's quite nice and very high-traffic.
If we enter on the back wall from the parking lot, I think produce is on the right side of the store, with deli items and meat on the wall facing Beacon Street. Frozen foods are in the middle and the registers, if I remember correctly, are split, with one set in the back and one set in the front.
As usual, there's some fun local signage inside the store. The marquee sign here is a reference to the nearby Coolidge Corner Theater.
Meats at the back of the produce department...
Interesting combination of upright and single-tier freezer cases, something I commented on at the tiny Boylston Street store.
The extensive cheese department is up next on the back wall...
...and dairy is next to that, I believe. It's been a while, and I don't remember the layout of these Trader Joe's stores too well because they all kind of blend together for me.
There's a set of registers each at the front and back of the store, and above you can see them running along the front wall of the store. There aren't windows in front of the rear set of registers because there's backroom space between this area and the parking lot.
Opened: 1996
Owner: Aldi Nord
Previous Tenants: J. Bildner & Sons (closed 1995)
Cooperative: none
Location: 1317 Beacon St, Brookline, MA
Photographed: June 16, 2019
While this is the supermarket right in the center of Brookline's Coolidge Corner, there's a larger supermarket a couple blocks south. That's Monday's stop!
The upright freezer cases are standard issue at Trader Joe's. At least all the ones I shop in. They rotate their frozen foods at a stress-inducing rate. The upright cases usually feature seasonal categories, like appetizers during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteTJ's is in the process of expanding their produce departments. The execution of the expansion is definitely better in some stores over others. Clifton just had theirs done and it's pretty terrible. With the expansions, grocery gets squeezed into reduced shelving space, making for some odd arrangements. Clifton also ripped out its "express" registers which is terribly disappointing. Less registers now and even with every single one open there are crazy lines. For a chain who has always seemed to make the right decisions is kinda becoming a bit of a hot mess.