Pittsburgh’s Strip District is famous for sandwiches stuffed with meat, french fries and coleslaw, the ethnic markets selling everything from prosciutto to baklava, and street vendors hawking chicken on the stick.
It soon may be adding to the lineup — plastic lobsters and Hawaiian shirts.
Trader Joe’s, the California grocery chain known for both, is scouting locations in the Strip, according to multiple real estate sources.
One site believed to be under consideration is between the Fort Wayne railroad bridge and Interstate 579 near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
That location would give Trader Joe’s a spot straddling Downtown and the Strip, with the potential to attract residents, office workers and visitors from both neighborhoods. The grocer is believed to be looking at other locations in the Strip as well.
In a statement Wednesday, Trader Joe’s neither confirmed nor denied its interest in the neighborhood.
“We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more neighborhood stores each year,” spokeswoman Nakia Rohde said.
The Strip would make sense for Trader Joe’s. It is one of the hottest markets in the region, teeming with new residential, retail and office development.
Residency has increased by 316% since 2015, with population expected to double in the next two to three years, according to the Strip District neighbors organization. A total of 2,132 residential units are in the pipeline.
Trader Joe’s is a grocer with a big and loyal following. Fans love many of the private store brands, the low prices and the quirky ambience, which includes employees dressed in Hawaiian shirts.
Such a store could blend with the Strip’s own eclectic nature, one that includes the Penn Avenue commercial corridor filled with generations-old ethnic markets, restaurants and bars, street vendors, and sports apparel stores overflowing with T-shirts, jerseys and Terrible Towels.
The redeveloped produce terminal, a century-old Strip landmark, also is becoming a destination, with establishments like City Winery, Aslin Beer Company, Novo Asian Food Hall, and Puttshack attracting crowds.
Trader Joe’s has been in an expansion mode. It is expected to open at least 17 new stores this year, including five in California, two in Virginia and one in New Jersey. None are listed for Pennsylvania.
According to sources, it is hoping to open a store in the Strip within the next three years.
The grocer currently has three stores in the Pittsburgh region — one in East Liberty near Bakery Square, one in the South Hills and one at the McCandless Crossing development in the North Hills.
Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, welcomed the idea of having Trader Joe’s in or near the Golden Triangle.
“We’d love to see Trader Joe’s in Downtown or on the periphery,” he said, adding that having one that bridged Downtown and the Strip “would be an amazing asset for both neighborhoods.”
“With 12,000 residents in the greater Downtown and another 7,000 units in the pipeline just in the Golden Triangle, I think this makes a lot of sense for Trader Joe’s,” said John Valentine, executive director of the Pittsburgh Downtown Neighbors Alliance. “The more residents that move in, the bigger the market that we can create.”
Mr. Valentine said Trader Joe’s and other grocers may be taking a greater interest in locations in or near the central business district because of the success of the Downtown Target store, which opened in summer 2022.
Sales at that location are about 43% above projections, he said. It is believed the sales in the first year hit the level that the retailer had projected to reach in its sixth year of operation.
“I think Trader Joe’s may just be the beginning,” Mr. Valentine said. “I think you’re going to see other types of businesses want to come in because as more people come in you're creating that market.”
Toward that end, there have been discussions with multiple operators about opening a grocery around Downtown, according to sources. That includes an independent grocery chain eyeing a proposed Hullett Properties development in the Cultural District.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com.
First Published: May 23, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: May 23, 2024, 7:40 p.m.