New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

EVERETT — Trader Joe’s will open a new store in Everett.

The grand opening takes place Friday at — tah-da! — the Everett Mall.

The new location, inside the former Sears store at 1302 SE Everett Mall Way, shouldn’t be a surprise.

It’s been expected for months.

In November, the grocery chain applied for a liquor license with the state at that address. In recent weeks, passersby glimpsed the telltale installation of grocery shelves and freezer cases inside the former department store.

The current Trader Joe’s at 811 SE Everett Mall Way will be open through Thursday.

“Then we will open in the new location on Friday morning,” company spokesperson Nakia Rohdes said Wednesday in an email to The Daily Herald.

A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the new Everett Mall store at 7:55 a.m. Doors open to customers at 8 a.m.

“The new store is just two blocks away. It should be a smooth transition,” Angelique Ashton, Everett Mall’s retail marketing administrator, said Wednesday.

“We’ve very happy to have Trader Joe’s opening at the Everett Mall,” Ashton added.

The new location will offer more parking, a welcome feature for shoppers who’ve endured the tight squeeze of the longtime Everett location.

Brixton Capital, the mall’s owner, began renovating the former Sears store last year.

Last week, existing mall tenant Ulta Beauty moved into newly constructed space at the former Sears.

Home goods retailer At Home is taking the rest of the space. It’s expected to open this fall.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin plans to deliver her annual State of the City speech on March 21 at the mall, “as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Everett Mall and highlight exciting revitalization efforts underway.”

Trader Joe’s launched in 1967 in the Los Angeles area, It now boasts more than 540 stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C.

The new Trader Joe’s will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @JanicePods.