Welcome to Omaha, Trader Joe's!!

Okay, for me personally, it's a day late and a dollar short...since we're leaving in a week.

I'm a huge Trader Joe's fan!  I can't say exactly when I first went there.  I know it was about 10 years ago and it was either the one in Commack, NY with my in-laws, or else in Falls Church, VA with one of my childhood friends, Naomi.

If you aren't in the know, then you deserve a little background.  Trader Joe's is a grocery store chain, with most of their locations on the east and west coasts.  They are unique in that they market their own brands of many foods, many of which are very unusual.

Such as pad thai kits, curry sauces, and pasta.  Beer, wine and organic milk.  They'll carry other brands too, but again, mostly on the unusual side.  It's so much fun to shop there.  The prices are very reasonable, and you know you're getting good food with minimal processing.  Their fruit and nut section is so much fun.  Their coffees are fair trade, many of them are organically grown.

About 6 months after we moved to Apex, NC, a Trader Joe's opened up right up the road from our house.  I was so excited to make TJ's our family's local grocery store.  It was awesome!

Then we moved to Omaha, and were once again without TJ's (although being near a commissary again helped).  I saw a page on Facebook called "Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha" where several folks were trying to work with the company on bringing the store to the midwest.  I guess TJ's need to put a distribution hub somewhere near here first.  Because of that page, I knew this past winter that TJ's had taken a lease on a property in Western Omaha and on November 12th they had their grand opening.

A store in West Des Moines, IA had opened a week prior, and in 2 weeks a store will open in Lincoln, NE.

So here I am on November 13th, happy about there being a Trader Joe's nearby.

From 2010 11 13 Trader Joe's Omaha Grand Opening

And this is what greeted us when we walked in:

From 2010 11 13 Trader Joe's Omaha Grand Opening

Yeah, it was crowded! Fortunately, we knew EXACTLY what we needed: coffee, pasta, nuts and wine. Large volumes of each.  We really enjoy the Charles Shaw wine and picked up TWO CASES of the stuff!  Plus Jacob's favorite veggie ruffle pasta, an assortment of nuts for cooking and baking, and several large containers of their coffee.

So I have my fix, which will carry me for several months as I make my way back into a Trader Joe's drought.

Back to packing!