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"What I and other like-minded people would like to see is a decent store on the green to liven it up and bring people in," she said in an e-mail Wednesday. "A good food shop is a particular 'plus' because it would mean EVERYBODY from Roxbury, Washington, Litchfield, Bridgewater, as well as most of New Milford, would be able to buy (good) groceries without crossing that darned bridge to darned Route 7!"
Ms. Carr noted that she obtained "about 400 signatures in something over four hours and "heaps" of extremely positive response and interest.
Patricia Greenspan of the New Milford Trust for Historic Preservation thinks it's a good idea too.
"Patricia Carr been working steadily for months to make this happen," she said.
"She got quite a few signatures and is going to send them to the CEO at Trader Joe's. Several months ago, maybe six months or so, I had the same thought and sent an e-mail there, telling them about New Milford and that we needed a good grocery store in the downtown area. As I was doing it, I could feel a stock reply coming back, but I can't say for sure that it was the kind of reply I got," Mrs. Greenspan recounted.
"If we start to lose what is vital in the downtown, New Milford as we know it will be gone," she added.
"The foot traffic is still there, and a Trader Joe's would encourage more people to be walking in town. It's such a wonderful store. And there is parking-at the railroad station, behind that, behind the town hall, at the north end of the green and behind the senior center," Mrs. Greenspan said.
Tom Pilla, a local developer who has owned property along the green, notably the building where the new Tivoli restaurant (former Elizabeth's) is located, said in a recent, unrelated interview that the old CVS store is a "choice" location. "The owner has done a great job renovating the space," he said.
The old CVS location-the business has relocated to the former Morey's Supermarket spot on Route 202 at the corner of Brookside Avenue-"is not a place that should be vacant," Mrs. Greenspan said. "It's a wonderful location for the right business. Something like Trader Joe's."
"At Trader Joe's, you won't find a lot of branded items," according to a description of its marketing concept on its Web site (www.traderjoes.com). "Instead, you'll find unconventional and interesting products in the Trader Joe's label as well as everyday basics. We buy products we think are winners and that'll find a following among our customers. Sometimes it's a product we intend to stock as long as it sells well; and sometimes we buy a product that is in limited supply, sell through it, and you won't find it again. It's all part of the shopping adventure at Trader Joe's."
The specialty grocery store chain was founded by Joe Coulombe, after whom Trader Joe's is named, in 1958 in the Greater Los Angeles area, according to online sources. It was originally known as the Pronto Market chain of neighborhood convenience store but developed a specialty twist to avoid competing with 7-Eleven, an established chain of similar stores. Mr. Coulombe reportedly decided to promote products addressing more exotic tastes after being on vacation on the Caribbean and then noticing how difficult it was to find specialty items in local supermarkets. He opened the first Trader Joe's in 1967, in Pasadena, Cal., and the store is still doing business there. The chain is now owned by a family trust that was established by German billionaire Theo Albrecht, who, along with his brother Theo, were behind ALDI, a German discount supermarket chain.
