(NEXSTAR) – Trader Joe’s customers at a longtime location in Southern California were treated to a silly sight last week, when another Trader Joe’s opened its doors directly across the street.
The newest Trader Joe’s in Sherman Oaks, located at 14140 Riverside Drive, officially opened to the public on June 6, according to the company’s official site. It’s got all the trappings of a traditional Trader Joe’s — frozen Mandarin Chicken, canvas totes, individually priced bananas, etc. — along with a great view of the Trader Joe’s at 14119 Riverside Drive, which has been there for over half a century.
“What’s better than one Trader Joe’s? Two Trader Joe’s directly across the street from each other,” one customer wrote in a Yelp review.
As for why a new Trader Joe’s was built across the street from an existing store, shoppers on Yelp and TikTok wondered whether the company was attempting to replace the former location. But that doesn’t seem to be the case — at least not immediately.
“I just asked the worker, ‘How long is the other Trader Joe’s going to stay open?’” a TikTok user by the name of @ShavsPaper claimed in a recent viral video. “And she said, “Um, they just signed their lease. They just resigned their lease. So at least three years.”
The TikTok user also described the dual-store set-up as “actually insane.”
Commenters on TikTok claiming to have insider knowledge on the situation offered differing explanations for the “Sherman Oaks too” location. One claimed the company had hoped to replace the original Sherman Oaks location, but construction of the new store wasn’t completed in time, forcing the older store to renew its lease. Another said the company simply wanted to supplement its footprint in Sherman Oaks, because the original store was especially busy.
A representative for Trader Joe’s did not reveal what necessitated the opening of the “Sherman Oaks too” market. She did say, however, that the company plans to keep “both stores open.”
Whatever the case, early shoppers at the newer store seem to have a favorite. They say the new Trader Joe’s is more spacious, the freezer section is bigger, and — perhaps most importantly — the parking lot isn’t nearly as challenging, or small, as the ones frequently found at other locations.
“Parking is HUUUUUGE (a rarity for a Trader Joe’s) and located underground,” one Yelper observed. “A pleasant development with 100+ degree summer months on the horizon.”