A car fire broke out in the first-story parking garage at Trader Joe’s in Berkeley on Friday, June 21. Photo: Greg Merritt A car fire broke out in the first-story parking garage at Trader Joe’s in Berkeley on Friday, June 21. Photo: Greg Merritt Update, Aug. 12: Acting Deputy Fire Chief Avery Webb told Berkeleyside in […]
Trader Joe’s
Posted inBusiness, City
Parking around Trader Joe’s sparks ‘vigilante’ action
Handmade signs affixed to trees between Milvia and Bonita on December 20th warned of the risk of being ticketed. Photo: D.H. Parks By Linda Hemmila If you’ve received a parking ticket near Trader Joe’s on University Avenue in Berkeley, you’re in good company. So many people have been ticketed there over the past year and […]
Posted inBusiness
Group pickets Trader Joe’s over Florida labor practices
Demonstrators gathered outside Trader Joe's. Photo: William Newton A group of protestors demonstrated outside Trader Joe’s on University Avenue on Saturday to encourage the chain to pressure Florida tomato growers into treating their workers more fairly. Tomato pickers in Florida are among the poorest in the country, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has successfully […]
Posted inBusiness
The Trader Joe’s effect: A Berkeley building makeover
Berkeley Plaza, on the corner of MLK and Berkeley Way, has been renovated by a team of Berkeley companies. Photos: Tracey Taylor It was known as “the Homeless Hilton” by the homeless people who used to camp out on the roof of the building on the corner of MLK and Berkeley Way. But now, following […]
Posted inHousing & Development
A lukewarm review for new Berkeley building
New Californian building on Trader Joe's opening day. The building which houses Berkeley’s newly opened Trader Joe’s was given a lukewarm review by the Chronicle’s urban design writer John King this weekend. While King welcomed the five story mixed-use building as an example of the sort of smart growth cities like Berkeley need, he was less […]
Posted inNosh
Essence of Berkeley: Food shopping as worship
Berkeley's Farmers' Markets: outdoor tent revivalists? In case you missed it, a post on this site last week elicited an entertaining rumination by Berkeleysider EBGuy on Berkeley’s food stores and their role as our new cathedrals — or temples, or synagogues. More Berkeleysiders weighed in with their analogies. Here’s the full list (so far): Farmers’ Markets: […]
Posted inNosh
Berkeley’s food meccas: The new religion
Shopping at Berkeley Bowl: non-denominational? We couldn’t resist hoisting from the comments this reflection by EBGuy on food shopping as religion (prompted by today’s opening of Berkeley’s Trader Joe’s) : I have a theory about Berkeley.* With organized religion on the decline, we look to food to provide a shared communal experience. Grocery stores are our cathedrals. […]
Posted inBusiness
Shoppers rush right in to new Trader Joe’s
Photo by Sasha Vasilyuk Even before the new Trader Joe’s on University Avenue officially opened this morning, a large crowd gathered outside. “We had about 80 people at the door,” said Mary Ann Gallagher, the “captain” of the store. “They were super excited. We had people waiting since 7. They were taking pictures. It was […]
Posted inNosh
Parking will be tight at new Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe's on University and Martin Luther King The new Trader Joe’s on University and Martin Luther King will open on June 11, but be prepared to walk rather than drive. The new store only has 48 parking spaces, and the city council, wary of squeezing out spaces used by nearby residents, voted this week […]
Posted inNosh
Dozens line up for job at Berkeley’s Trader Joe’s
Dozens of people lined up Friday to apply for a job at the Trader Joe’s opening at University and Martin Luther King. The new store will open in the ground floor of a five-story, mixed use building that was constructed on the site of the old Kagen’s auto supply store. Thanks to @umhai for the […]
