At 5:45 a.m. on Friday, Joan Smith and Melissa Elezotte were the first to arrive at the grand opening of the new Trader Joe's Okemos location. The pair set up two chairs in front of the red sliding-glass doors. 10 minutes later, a line began to form behind them.
By 8 a.m., an hour before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the line to enter the store was wrapped around the full parking lot.
Despite their early arrival, Elezotte said she was surprised they were the first ones in line at the store.
“We figured there'd be more people here when we got here,” Elezotte said. “We were surprised.”
Inside the store, murals of East Lansing landmarks, such as the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum and Spartan Stadium, are scattered throughout. The MSU campus squirrels serve as another frequent theme of this location’s decorations.
Elezotte said she’s been waiting in anticipation for Trader Joe’s to open in Okemos since the construction of the store was first announced. Smith said they have been wanting a location to open “even before then.”
Jeanne LaFountain from Lynchberg said she felt like the opening has been several years in the making.
“There was talk years ago, but then it didn’t happen. Then, the property was ready to do it, then the building stopped. I think that Covid had something to do with the supplies; the whole thing stalled. All of a sudden, it got back on track, and here we go,” LaFountain said.
She said she has been traveling across Michigan to go to other Trader Joe’s locations until now.
“We’re so happy that it’s here,” LaFountain said. “We’ve always had to go to Ann Arbor or Rochester Hills before.”
Elezotte said she was traveling to the Livonia location prior to the opening in Okemos.
“We are very excited to have (Trader Joe’s) here,” Elezotte said. “We have been traveling to the Livonia one for years now. We’re just happy to have one here.”
For Smith and Elezotte, the customer service and helpful staff makes Trader Joe’s a special place to shop.
“I just think that people are trained to be extra courteous to the customers,” said Smith.
Elezotte said, in addition to the customer service, she appreciates the low prices and quality of the food at Trader Joe’s.
“The people are just usually really friendly — they know everything in the store,” said Elezotte. “They’re very helpful and the prices are really good, and the produce is good.”
Jeanne LaFountain said she feels Trader Joe’s has “certain products that (she) can’t get anywhere else.”
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