New L.A. Trader Joe’s opens next to … another Trader Joe’s

Earlier this month, Trader Joe’s celebrated the grand opening of a new store located on the ground floor of an apartment complex in Sherman Oaks.

The chain isn’t new to the neighborhood, however. Just across the street is another Trader Joe’s — a “legend” that has served customers since 1973, store representatives said.

The initial plan was to close the old location when the new branch was ready — both are off the 101 Freeway on Riverside Drive. But in the end, the company decided it might be “fun” to keep both open, according to Matt Judd, the new store’s manager.

“Our business in this city has been so tremendous, so we decided to keep them both,” he said. “The city deserves it.”

The new store is about 40% bigger than the one across the street, with a large selection of products and more aisles for customers to browse, Judd said. It also offers parking in an underground garage — a big draw for customers wary of navigating the old cramped parking lot.

On Friday around noon, customers flowed in and out of the neighboring stores.

The new store is about 40% bigger than the one across the street.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

“This one’s way better,” customer Steve Emrick said as he grabbed a shopping cart to head into the new store. “The other store can get pretty congested, and the parking was not as tight here.”

Another shopper, Jacob Ruiz, said he frequented the older location, but was excited to visit the new one for the first time. He said parking was a breeze, and as he left, he swore he’d “never go back” to the other location.

But he also didn’t think the expansion was completely necessary for the area.

“Not here. They should venture out to other neighborhoods,” he said.

Both stores were still crowded — Judd said he expected lots of customers to stay loyal to the 1973 Trader Joe’s.

Olga Virov said she’s shopped at the smaller store for about 20 years. She was impressed by the parking options the new store offered, but since she normally walks to the grocery store, she didn’t see the need to make the switch.

“This one is more convenient. It’s cozy, and it’s easier for me to get to, so I prefer to go to this one,” she said of the older location. “I am not planning to go to that one unless I am shopping at the mall.”

Melany Figueroa-Garcia stopped at the older Trader Joe’s on a grocery run. She said she plans to keep shopping there, calling it cozier. Plus, she said she thinks the parking system at the new location is confusing. But she did like the option of a bigger location.

“If this location doesn’t have something I want, I walk over to the other location and get it,” she said.

In a statement to The Times, Trader Joe’s said that both stores are expected to remain open.

“Our goal is always to bring delicious products at great values to as many people as we can,” the statement said. “The best way to do that is to open more stores.”