One recent ribbon cutting seemed to be particularly exciting for Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke and longtime city staff.

That’s partly because having a Trader Joe’s has been on the wish list for anyone interested in development in Chandler — a city of almost 300,000 people— for at least two decades.

City, Chandler Chamber of Commerce and Trader Joe’s representatives were on hand Oct. 8 as the first Chandler store opened. It’s in a shopping center anchored by a Target store, on the southeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo Road, across from Hamilton High School.

The store was built quickly into a gap lot between PetSmart and L.A. Fitness near the southeast corner of the shopping center.

The address is 3961 S. Arizona Avenue.

The store is 9,936 square feet and includes three rows of freezers, according to a news release. It’s the 18th Trader Joe’s in Arizona.

The store captain, or manager, is Shannon Curran. The release states Trader Joe’s hired more than 40 new crew members from surrounding areas and transferred others in from neighboring stores.

The release states the store’s interior artwork will highlight local sites, signs and buildings, including the Chandler Center for the Arts, the San Marcos Hotel, and State Route 87.

Trader Joe’s says it promises to donate 100% of products that go unsold, but remain fit to enjoy, to a range of non-profit, community-based organizations, seven days per week.

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