Sneak peek photos: Trader Joe’s in Plano opens Friday at 8 a.m.

by Sarah Blaskovich

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Doors are now open.

PLANO — The Southern California specialty grocery store Trader Joe’s is ready to open in Plano at 8 a.m. Friday, with Two-Buck Chuck and Joe-Joe’s cookies already on the shelves.

In a Thursday morning store walkthrough, Trader Joe’s employees called “crew members” were calmly stocking remaining items for Friday’s big opening. The store is North Texas’ second Trader Joe’s; the first opened in Fort Worth in June.

Trader Joe’s shoppers are expected to line up before the sun rises on Friday, said Don O’Connor, the “captain” of the store who chose to transplant from California to Texas to helm the Plano store. Trader Joe’s entry into Texas has evoked both confusion and excitement among DFW shoppers.

“It has a bit of a cult following,” said Jon Battle, a Plano resident who plans on visiting the new Plano store Friday morning. “You either get it, or you don’t. I get it.”

Battle used to work at Central Market in Plano as a “foodie” – a store employee who helped shoppers find special items and offered samples. He plans to snatch up Trader Joe’s Mac ‘N Cheese on Friday, a frozen item for $2.99 that O’Connor said is a regular favorite.

The 14,000 square-foot store on the northeast corner of Park and Preston in Plano resembles most other Trader Joe’s, with a special produce section, cooking demo area, frozen aisle, and wine area. About 80 percent of the store’s labels are Trader Joe’s brand, lauded for carrying no artificial flavors or colors and no preservatives.

At the same intersection in Plano, shoppers will find a Whole Foods Market and a Market Street. “We just hope to add to the grocery store landscape in Plano,” O’Connor said. “And, we know there are a lot of foodies here.”

A new items section in a back corner of the store shows special food the company has just brought under its brand. “Our buyers travel the culinary seas to find new and unique items,” O’Connor said. The store also has artisan bread that is locally sourced and delivered to the store seven days a week, though they do not disclose the names of their bakeries.

The Trader Joe’s brand includes items that can’t be found elsewhere, like Cookie Butter – a spread that tastes like cookies and can be used on pancakes or ice cream. Frozen foods fall under quirky Trader Joe’s sub-labels like Trader Giotto for Italian items and Trader Ming’s for Chinese food. The Two-Buck Chuck – wine for $2.99 – is one of its biggest talkers, and the Plano store is stocked with dozens of cases.

Friday marks the opening of four Trader Joe’s stores in the U.S.: Sarasota, Fla.; Foxborough, Mass.; Portsmouth/Newington, N.H.; and the Plano store. Trader Joe's has more than 370 stores in 34 states, with its 35th state – Utah – added before year's end.

Battle says after the crowds settle, the real joy of Trader Joe’s is traipsing the aisles, stumbling upon interesting, unexpected food. “The prices are good, and for good quantity,” Battle said. “I’ll shop here regularly, because they have some things that only they have.”

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If you go: An avid Trader Joe’s fan in Louisville, Ky., slept in a hammock strung between his car and a tree the night before his local store opened in October 2011. In Fort Worth, patrons lined up as early as 5:30 a.m. for the 8 a.m. opening. Crew members at the Trader Joe’s expect early lines, but even if you arrive before sun up on Friday, doors will not open before 8 a.m., said the store captain.

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