The cult-favorite grocery store is finally setting up shop in The Big Easy, one of the South’s most iconic cities.
Trader Joe’s first New Orleans location will open its doors on Thursday (Aug. 14).
The store — located at 2501 Tulane Avenue in the Tulane-Gravier neighborhood — has been two years in the making.
It’s a prime spot for the beloved chain, just minutes from Tulane University, Café Du Monde, and Bourbon Street.
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Fans eager for the Trader Joe’s opening date have been watching this location take shape for months.
A First for the City — and a Third for the State
This will be Trader Joe’s first-ever store in New Orleans and the third in Louisiana.
The Times-Picayune first reported in June 2023 that the chain was eyeing the Tulane Avenue address for its first Big Easy Trader Joe’s.
A second New Orleans location on Napoleon Avenue is also planned, though no official opening date has been set. The company simply says it’s “coming soon.”
How Trader Joe’s Chooses New Locations
In a 2024 episode of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast, hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan shared how the company decides where to expand.
Population density and parking are two of the biggest factors — not petitions or social media campaigns.
“People get so excited about the prospect of one of our stores coming to their neighborhood that they start a social media campaign, or they start a letter-writing campaign,” Miller said.
Sloan added: “While we love the energy and enthusiasm often expressed in any of those various social media campaigns…they really don’t have much, if any, impact on what we end up deciding.”
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Ultimately, the decision comes down to “access and ease of getting into and out of, and the flow of traffic patterns,” Sloan explained.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
