Trader Joe's sets opening date for Middletown store, and it's very soon

Trader Joe's is set to open its new store on Route 35 in Middletown on Thursday, the popular grocer's fourth location at the Jersey Shore.

The store will open at 8 a.m., after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Its hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

The 12,000-square-foot store, which has been decorated inside with artwork that highlights beach scenes and treats, is located at an end of the shopping center closest to Harmony Road. It had been vacant since Walgreens, which converted it from a Rite Aid pharmacy in 2019, closed in February 2022.

Trader Joe's has three stores in Monmouth and Ocean counties, with locations in Shrewsbury, Freehold Township and Brick.

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Known for its produce, frozen food and meals, Trader Joe's is a cult hit with foodies, offering more than 3,000 items under its own private label. It introduces about a dozen new items every month.

Meanwhile, Middletown Plaza, which has other large tenants such as At Home, Petco and Retrofitness, is in the midst of a makeover. Its owner, Brixmor Property Group, is renovating with a new façade and new signage, including new monument signs along the road.

Besides Trader Joe's next week, the shopping center will have another new nameplate tenant in 2024: Shake Shack will open a burger joint in the former Moe's Southwest Grill.

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David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Trader Joe's in Middletown NJ opening date set