COLONIE, N.Y. - The first Trader Joe's in the Capital Region opened its doors Friday morning where hundreds waited in line for the big moment and the chance to finally get a look inside the Wolf Road location.
The first man in line was Ed Davis from Watervliet who arrived at 10:00 p.m. Thursday night.
"You don't have the regular stores where you have to buy those brands until you find one you like. Everything I find I like here and if you don't you can bring it back without a receipt and they'll refund your money," Davis said.
Trader Joe's officially opened its doors at 8:00 a.m. and ran out of shopping carts within the first ten minutes.
A dedicated group of Trader Joe's shoppers have been working to bring the national grocery store chain to the Albany area for the last five years. Bruce Roter spearheaded that effort, starting a group called "We Want Trader Joe's in the Capital District."
"We sent postcards. We did pictures. We did poetry. We did YouTube videos. We also donated to local charities, making Trader Joe's the beneficiary of those donations," Roter said.
In this tough economy, Trader Joe's is also bringing jobs, which Colonie Town Supervisor Paula Mahan said benefits the area.
"It offers another option for not only our residents, which we have a large population in town, but also the visitors that travel through town," Mahan said.
The new store was expected to cause a traffic headache for those that live and work in the area. On Friday, congestion was not a problem.
NEWS10 ABC
