A thread popped up on Philadelphia Speaks the other day, wherein someone posted that they had heard a rumor that a Trader Joe’s could be taking over the Superfresh location at 5th & Spruce. This could certainly be a legit possibility or it could equally end up simply being a rumor that never comes to pass. Whichever it is, it brings about an interesting conversation about whether we have enough access to grocery items in greater Center City.

Superfresh

If you ask us, it seems that 10th & South is where the rubber meets the road in this town for groceries. Convenient for pedestrians and with easy parking, a Superfresh and a Whole Foods provide thousands of area residents access to groceries. Many people even visit both stores in one trip to this corner. And while it’s true that there are other grocery stores spread out across Center City, many are farther out from the middle of town and/or are regularly jammed with people. While the idea of another Trader Joe’s coming into town is phenomenal, we’d be sad to see it come at the expense of an existing supermarket.

Our lone Trader Joe's. Home of tasty foods and unbelievably long lines

What we’d really like to see is a new Trader Joe’s store in a location that’s currently vacant, ideally on the southern side of town. Might we suggest Broad and Washington? Or another location on Washington Avenue, somewhere west of Broad Street? Or perhaps incorporated into the CHOP plan on Schuylkill Avenue? In the meantime, we’ll just hope that TJ’s completes their expansion on Market Street sooner rather than later, and that tames the lines some until additional relief in the form of a second location comes into play.

In the meantime, we’d also be willing to accept a third Whole Foods. Just sayin’…