Jules Silver was one of those people who just had to see what the fuss was about.
“I’ve never shopped at Trader Joe’s,” the 92-year-old Pembroke Pines resident said Friday, making his way around crowded aisles at the chain’s new store in his neighborhood. “I woke up at 6:30 this morning for this. I wanted to see what everyone was raving about.”
For months, South Floridians have been raving about Trader Joe’s favorites such as Two-Buck Chuck wines, mandarin orange chicken, Triple Ginger Snaps cookies and the grocery chain’s rapid expansion across the region.
On Friday, the California-based retailer opened its latest South Florida store at 11960 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines. Long lines of excited customers wrapped around the store Friday before the 8 a.m. grand opening, talking about Trader Joe’s they’ve visited in New York, California and other parts of the country.
The new shop is Broward County‘s first and South Florida’s sixth.
Trader Joe’s arrived in South Florida Oct. 18, 2013, with a store opening in Pinecrest in Miami-Dade County. Since then, four more stores have opened in Palm Beach County — in Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Delray Beach and Boca Raton.
Broward is poised to get another Trader Joe’s next year at 1590 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale.
The new Pembroke Pines store is within the Pembroke Crossing shopping center, across from the Pembroke Lakes Mall.
“I’ve been waiting seven years for this,” Ryann Greenberg said Friday, just a few minutes after stepping into the store. “I’m ecstatic.”
Greenberg said she created a Facebook page to plead with the grocery chain to open a shop in her neighborhood. She called their corporate offices several times, too.
“I feel like a Trader Joe’s geek,” 37-year-old Greenberg said, adding that she loves their organic and affordable food selection.
The grocery chain counts more than 400 stores nationwide, and an unrivaled fan base so loyal that many admit they’ve driven hours across the state to get to the nearest store.
Kerisa Taylor, of Miami Gardens, once drove about four hours to Tampa to bring back monthslong supplies of Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter and other goodies only found at the tropical-themed chain.
“Now, it’s in our backyard,” said Taylor, 33. “It’s great.”
, 954-356-4526, Twitter @MiriamValverde
If you go
What: Trader Joe’s grocery store
Where: 11960 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines
Hours: Open daily, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Phone number: 954-432-0405
