Come on East Nashville

So H.G. Hills located at 615 Gallatin Pike is closing in May and they claim not to have a tenant yet. There have been rumors of an Aldi's, but I haven't heard it in a confirmed sense.

This is a prime time to for those of you who want an East Nashville Trader Joe's to contact Trader Joe's and let them know that there is a great location ready for them to move in.

Yes, I know, they don't have a distribution network set up (from what I have heard all they need is a warehouse in Atlanta and a few more solid nearby vendors). Yes, I know that the area we lovingly refer to as the 'hood isn't their typical first step into a new market. Whatever. It doesn't hurt to try and to get as many of our voices heard as possible. The more folks they hear from, the more likely they will give it a look.

So, I know I've been gone awhile. Thanks to those that are still subscribed. I haven't abandoned this, but it has been back burner for a number of personal and work related reasons. Let's see if we can't get some more traction with this new development!

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.

What YOU Can Do to Make IT Happen!

1. Sign the petition

2. Get family and friends to sign the petition

3. Forward the petition url to listservs you are on and other folks you know (think work, church, book group, neighborhood group, etc).

4. Print out and distribute the Tear Off Poster and Palm Cards (think work, coffee shop, restaurants, other grocery stores, bookstores, etc):

5. If you have a blog or website, help get the word out by adding a link to the petition or this blog.

6. Come back here once a week so that we can stay organized to take action. I promise to put up a new post every Friday (if not more often).