Trader Joe's will open its first New Orleans grocery store on Thursday, August 14, on Tulane Avenue, the company said Monday.

The store has been in the works for more than two years and has been widely welcomed by locals in the Tulane/Gravier neighborhood and by city economic development boosters, who see it as a sign of progress in the burgeoning Medical/BioInnovation District.

Trader Joe's, a California-based chain known for its relatively low prices and quirky own brands, said that there will be an official opening ceremony just before doors open at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

The new store is located at 2501 Tulane Ave at the intersection of Tulane Avenue and South Rocheblave, across the street from the Veterans Administration hospital. A second store is being built Uptown on Freret Str

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