We Need Everyone to Send a Quick Location Request

Easier than sitting in a bustle

It takes less than a minute to submit a location request to Trader Joe’s, but will make a huge impact! Trader Joe’s has people read each and every request, and if we send hundreds right now – just as they are receiving our materials – it will speak volumes. Our plan is to inundate them with location requests so they’ll be hearing our message from every possible source.

The form is very simple. You can add a comment telling them why you want Trader Joe’s here or leave that part blank. The important thing is to send Trader Joe’s as many Champaign-Urbana/Central Illinois requests as we can this week! So what are you waiting for? Head on over and send a quick request right now.

(Thank you to everyone for sticking with this campaign until the end. Like mentioned in the last post, this isn’t going to be successful without your involvement and help. So thank you for taking a few minutes to help make a Central Illinois Trader Joe’s a reality!)

 

Update: If you are viewing this post from a mobile device, the location requests page won’t come up through the above link. You need to pull up the full web page through the link at the bottom of the page, then click on “About Us,”  then click on the “Location Request” on the lower right. It’s complicated, but well worth it! Keep those location requests coming…

Trader Joe’s 4 C-U Package Details

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As promised, here are more details about the package of materials that was just sent to Trader Joe’s corporate. Our professionally designed portfolio included the following:

→ Trader Joe’s 4 C-U: Who We Are

A letter of introduction outlining how our movement started, what we’re about, and summarizing all that we have accomplished

→ Spreadin’ the Word: Articles and Links

Links and printouts of this blog, our Facebook page, and Twitter feed. Also in the section is copy of the printable flyer, and both links and hard copies of the articles from Chambanmoms.com, The News-Gazette, and WCIA-3, plus the mentions in the News-Gazette and Daily Illini letters to the editor

→ Big Joes for TJ’s: Letters of Support

Support letters from four prominent city officials

→ Thousands of Average Joes: The Petition

A printed out copy of the entire petition, with the original petition letter and the name and city of each signer

→ Our Fabulous City: Champaign-Urbana

Two articles from local magazines about the local economy and why our area is a great place to invest, information on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a full map of Champaign-Urbana and surrounding areas

→ Homes for Joe: Developer Bids

Full proposals from four developers, The Atkins Group, Olsen and Associates Architects, Fox Development, and Thompson Land Company

At the back of the package we enclosed a visitor’s guide to Champaign-Urbana which gives additional highlights about our area and showcases the many great aspects of the Central Illinois community.

The next step: inundate Trader Joe’s with location requests! A separate post about the importance of this is forthcoming, but it is vital that we politely besiege Trader Joe’s with requests right now as they are getting our materials. Thank you for joining in this campaign – it wouldn’t be possible without every single person’s involvement!

Aldi Test Marketing New Organic Line

Many people in town shop at the grocery store chain Aldi. As most people know, Aldi is owned by the same parent company as Trader Joe’s. Anyone who is seeking healthy, affordable groceries also knows that the selection of natural, unprocessed, additive-free items at Aldi has been very slim (i.e. Trader Joe’s and Aldi are absolutely not the same store. But that is for another post…)

We have learned that Aldi is currently test marketing a new line of natural and USDA-certified Organic products. Why is this important to our Trader Joe’s movement? We have received information that in other cities when Aldi has introduced “natural” or otherwise healthier foods and those items prove to be very popular, it has led the parent company to open a Trader Joe’s store in that area. It is a way of gauging the saleability and viability of the kinds of foods that Trader Joe’s carries. This particular organic line at Aldi is being introduced nation wide, but if these items are very popular here, it will only add to our stance that our area needs, wants, and will financially support our own Trader Joe’s store.

The offerings in Aldi’s new organic/natural line include:

Thin & Crispy Crust Pizza $3.49
Organic Toasted Oats $1.99
Rice Crisp $2.29
Sesame Lo Mein $1.69
Twisted Fruit Rope $2.49
Organic Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt $2.99
Organic Strawberries $2.39
Organic Blueberries $3.49
Organic Free Range Chicken Broth $1.69
Organic Diced Tomatoes $1.49
Organic Fruit Bars $2.69
Organic 100% Apple Juice $2.49
Organic 100% Apple Juice Boxes .99¢
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil $3.99
Southwestern Fresca $1.69
Organic String Cheese $2.99
Organic Sharp Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese $3.49
Organic Pasta Sauce $1.99
Organic Spaghetti or Linguine $1.29
Sweet Potato Corn Tortilla Chips $1.99
Instant Soup Cups $1.29
Shredded Wheat Cereal $1.99
Frozen Steel Cut Oatmeal $1.49
Pomegranate Plum Juice $2.49

Consider stopping by Aldi to stock up on these items! Then let Aldi know that we in Central Illinois like these kinds of products via their Facebook page or contact form. If these items prove to be popular in Champaign-Urbana, our argument for a Trader Joe’s will gain measurable validity. (And besides, these are organic/natural products at great low prices… so it’s a win-win.)

Thanks to Carlos at Couponaholic.net for the price list of the new Aldi Simply Nature line of products.

Welcome Chambanamoms.com Readers!

Today Chambanamoms.com is featuring a post about the Trader Joe’s 4 C-U Campaign. Chambanamoms.com  is a wonderful resource, full of interesting articles and local information specifically geared towards parents and residents in Central Illinois.

We want to extend a warm welcome to Chambanamoms.com readers who may be finding out about the Trader Joe’s community movement for the first time! Please sign the petition, read a little more about our goals, find out how you can get involved, and tell people you know about this community campaign. Each and every signature counts, and we feel strongly that this movement will work if we get more people to join us and get excited about what is being done to bring Trader Joe’s to our area!

Thank you for visiting! Come back to see the progress being made as the Trader Joe’s 4 C-U movement continues.

A Tour of Trader Joe’s

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Inquiring minds unfamiliar with Trader Joe’s have asked what a TJ’s store is really like. Since we are not ones to shirk questions from honest locals, we went to great lengths to obtain actual photos of an actual Trader Joe’s store. This one is in Des Moines, Iowa. The residents of Des Moines did a petition and campaign to get Trader Joe’s to come to their area. Obviously, their campaign was successful and Des Moines got a Trader Joe’s store in late 2010.

In the slideshow you can see the variety of products available at Trader Joe’s, and also get a sense of some of the prices. Trader Joe’s stores are not huge, averaging 8,000-12,000 square feet (compare that to the typical Walmart size of 98,000-210,000 sq. feet or Meijer at 200,000-250,000 sq. feet, and you can see that Trader Joe’s stores are much more manageable and less imposing). And again, everything carrying the Trader Joe’s label has no GMOs, no artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors, and no added trans-fats — all at low everyday prices.

Photos are from my own trip to the Des Moines Trader Joe’s in July of 2012.

3,170 Signatures Today …

…  And only 1,830 signatures until we reach our big goal of 5,000! We want to hit 5,000 signatures before sending our package of materials to the Trader Joe’s parent company in late fall. That is fast approaching! If you haven’t already, please sign the petition and continue to tell other people you know (share on Facebook and Twitter, send emails, post flyers, do whatever you can to spread the word). Help us get the number we feel will be most effective in showing Trader Joe’s that our community wants and needs a Trader Joe’s store!

Developer Proposal #4 – First Street and Windsor Retail Center, Champaign

This week we picked up the proposal from Fox Development Corporation, who control the University of Illinois Research Park (near the I-Hotel). They are creating a new retail location at the corner of First Street and Windsor Road in Champaign. The new First Street and Windsor Retail Center is described as an “upscale” shopping plaza, and the location at the south entrance of the Research Park, near Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall, makes it a prime location for our residents and people who come into town for games or other University of Illinois events. It is close to the campus for students, yet is on the main corridor between Urbana and Champaign, allowing residents of both easy access. The First Street and Windsor development will be a combination of retail and contemporary residential spaces, and tentatively includes walking paths around a pond and beautifully landscaped common areas.

The impressive portfolio contains detailed demographic, traffic, and income information, as well as plans outlining the buildings and development itself. The First Street and Windsor Retail Center is an exceptional location with a vibe that would certainly fit the Trader Joe’s image.

We are pleased to include Fox Development Corporation’s proposal in the package of materials we are compiling to submit to Trader Joe’s parent company. For those just joining our community campaign to bring Trader Joe’s to Central Illinois, you may also view the other developer proposals that will be included.

Developer Proposal #3 – City Center, Savoy

As we move forward in our campaign to bring Trader Joe’s to C-U, we continue to highlight the developers who have partnered with us in our effort. This week, we showcase the Trader Joe’s location proposed by the Thompson Land Company.

The Thompson Land Company has a seven acre parcel of land in the rapidly expanding Savoy township. The Thompson Land Company property is aptly named the Savoy City Center, and is located south of Burwash Avenue on the west side of south Neil Street (US-45). It is in a highly visible area, being just north of Willard Airport, near the University of Illinois campus, adjacent to fine Savoy neighborhoods, and situated along one of the main roads through Champaign-Urbana. The Savoy City Center is an excellent option for Trader Joe’s since it is noticeable, easily accessible, and there are currently few grocery stores in the region. Trader Joe’s would help anchor a new, vibrant shopping plaza in this quickly growing sector of our community.

Trader Joe’s 4 C-U on WCIA 3 News – Available to View!

Earlier this week I posted about the WCIA 3 news story about the Trader Joe’s 4 C-U movement. Today we were given a link to the news clip! If you’d like to see (and/or share) it, click on the picture above to go to the WCIA 3 news story. You may view the clip from there.

Trader Joe’s 4 C-U on WCIA 3 News

The Trader Joe’s 4 C-U Campaign was on the WCIA 3 News on Wednesday, September 26. To WCIA 3 viewers who just learned about Trader Joe’s 4 C-U, thank you for joining in this community led effort to bring Trader Joe’s to Central Illinois! Please click on the link on the upper right side of the blog or here to sign the petition.

We are so close to reaching 3,000 signatures – let’s make that the goal for this weekend! Keep hanging flyers around town, print out a paper petition form then put on a Hawaiian print shirt and go door-to-door… whatever you can think of to bring more people in. There are still thousands of people in our area that don’t know what we’re doing and would love to sign the petition to bring Trader Joe’s to Central Illinois. It is by working together that we can (and will) get the support we need to succeed!