It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—Trader Joe's has come to Parker, and the town couldn’t be more excited. This is the national company’s eighth store in Colorado and the first in the southeast Denver-metro area.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was on May 6th, 2022, and with it came a local poms squad, a 3D chalk artist, and a line of eager customers. The store’s opening meant approximately 70 new jobs, 80 percent of which went to people living in the Parker area.
It’s all part of Trader Joe’s community-oriented mission. According to one of the managers at the Parker store, Brett Schrimsher, TJ’s is a national store that aims for a neighborhood feel.
“We designed the store to embrace Parker,” Brett says. “We’ve been overwhelmed with positivity from the community.”
Brett isn’t kidding. Each wall of the store is adorned with Parker-specific murals, from the infamous downtown street lights to the mountain views. If you look close enough, you’ll find black and white images from Parker’s early days.
In addition to the local ambiance of each store, customers flock to Trader Joe’s because of its unique product offerings. Wrapped in colorful packaging with unique branding and cartoon mascots, the majority of Trader Joe’s products cannot be found in other stores. All products go through a meticulous taste test which must be approved anonymously by a committee. When that’s over, roughly 3,500 products remain in stores at a time (compared to 50,000 in an average grocery retailer.)
We’ve rounded up five of our favorite Summer Trader Joe’s Must-Haves. These 3,500 items rotate seasonally, so we have no guarantees for how long these items will be on the shelves–you better start shopping now!
1. Patio Chips This salty snack screams summer barbecue and gets its flavor palette from the grill. It combines four distinct chip flavors–Sea Salt & Vinegar, Delicious Dill, Homestyle Ketchup, and Smokin’ Sweet BBQ–into one bag. Every bite is a unique flavor explosion, so it’s quite difficult to quit munching. If you want to try something different that’s sure to please, you should drop $2.69 on a bag (or three) of these.
2. Strawberry Lemonade Joe-Joe’s Every Trader Joe’s aficionado knows about seasonal Joe-Joe’s. From Pumpkin in the fall to Candy Cane around the holidays, Trader Joe’s take on an Oreo flies off the shelves year-round. These Strawberry Lemonade cookies will be no exception. Two golden cookies made with dried lemon embrace a thick layer of strawberry crème with real berry bits. Enjoy this vegan treat with a cool glass of almond milk or our next Trader Joe’s must-have items.
3 & 4. Organic Strawberry Lemonade and Sparkling Pineapple Juice We couldn’t pick just one drink to share with you, so here are two. The Organic Strawberry Lemonade is an absolute must. It provides the perfect relief from the sweltering Colorado sun and has pieces of real strawberries. On the other hand, the Sparkling Pineapple Juice is a natural option with no added sugars. It’s a great mixer for a summertime cocktail, but it’s also tasty as a stand-alone sipper.
5. Raspberries and Cream & Meyer Lemon and Creme Yogurt As you can see, we have a lemon theme going on here. But you have to try this yogurt. Both flavors come in a single package, so you can keep things interesting. The sweetness paired with the creamy texture makes it a great option for a lighter summertime dessert.
