"It's like a courtship..."

"It's like a courtship," Roter said. "A smart company like Trader Joe's is not going to act impulsively. This is merely a process we're going to pursue over a period of time." That's what a fellow Trader Joe's fan who is trying to "woo" TJ's to Albany, New York through a letter writing campaign told the Business Review. I couldn't agree more.

I've been away from this project for a little while and dealing with more day to day stuff (and let's make it official that regular weekly posts are unlikely, although sometimes you can expect several in a week--look to the right and subscribe to my blog and then you won't miss a post!).

So when I did my standard "trader joe's nashville" google search last night to see what I've been missing, I was a little surprised by all the letters to the editor and comments in the Tennessean about feasibility. Everyone seems so certain of their position about the likelihood or lack thereof.

I suppose I am guilty of that, too. I am certain TJ's will open up shop here eventually. What I become less sure of is if I will care anymore by the time they decide to grace us with their presence. As I have reported here previously, other grocers are starting to wake up and recognize that they can do what TJ's does, too. While I am doubtful that these grocery retailers will do it with such panache, I do have to wonder if in 5 years or so we are going to have options that leave us somewhat underwhelmed when TJ's does finally come to town.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning the cause. I still think Trader Joe's is the best grocery shopping experience that I've ever had (allow me to reiterate that I have never been to a Wegman's, so you don't need to sing me those praises), but I do find myself wondering if I will always feel that way.

OK. So, this doesn't sound like the cheerleader post that I was aiming for originally. In that post, I wanted to convey that [1] no one expects things to change overnight; [2] we're going to keep pushing for a TJ's and hope that the effort will make them show up a bit faster than they would have otherwise; and [3] the only people who know for sure when or if TJ's is coming to town is TJ's and even then, you often get different information from different folks (although they have consistently said that we aren't in the 2 year plan, it becomes unclear after that with different reports from different corporate employees about whether we are in the 5 year plan).

But, I hope you'll recognize that this post is also meant to convey hope of another kind. There is a clamor in Nashville for the kind of shopping experience that Trader Joe's offers. Someone WILL answer that call. It's basic economics: supply and demand. So, please, if you haven't already demonstrated your demand for affordable, quality groceries in Nashville, please sign the Trader Joe's petition.

Based on the hits on this blog, I can guarantee you that they aren't the only grocery chain paying attention. And I mean, hey, if this is a courtship, maybe we will have to resort to a little hard-to-get action to get what we want. I didn’t just write that, did I?

Beat Austin? Check. What's the Next Move?

While I will feel a little more confident when the lead is more significant, WE DID IT. We have replaced Austin as the current online petition with the most signatures (as far as I can tell). So, what’s the next move? In the words of another TJ’s fan that contacted me last week, “Is there a great plan behind this?”

I don't have a grand plan, but I do have some ideas for next steps. I think we need to find some folks with commercial property for sale or lease that would be a good fit in terms of location and square footage and we need to get them involved in the process of “wooing” Trader Joe’s (that’s the company's language for it). Additionally, we need to make connections with individuals in the commercial real estate business to do some research on locations and demographics and contact the company with suggestions.

While I appreciate people throwing out potential locations, what we really need is for a few individuals to take action and contact the owner(s) of the locations that you think would be a good fit.

I also think that we need to use the petition to leverage local decision makers (elected officials, chamber of commerce, etc.) to reach out to Trader Joe's as well. If we can get some business folks and some politicians working on it, I think it will be a nice complement to the more grassroots people power approach.

Anyone want to join me in this phase? Send me an email. I’m not particularly connected when it comes to commercial real estate professionals or chamber folks. I could use your help!

Thanks, to everyone who helped us reach the small goal of beating Austin. With that success under our belt, let’s keep the ball rolling.