Kate Lambert stooped over an open freezer chest, pulling out boxes of Lime Fruit Floes to fill her shopping basket.
Since Lambert served the frozen treat instead of wedding cake on her special day three years ago, she hasn’t been able to find the specialty item until the opening day of Gainesville’s first Trader Joe’s grocery store Dec. 12.
“They taste like little margaritas and heaven,” she said. “I’ve missed these for three years.”
The opening of Trader Joe’s grocery store in Butler Plaza — the second Florida location of the California-based chain — expanded specialty food options for Gainesville residents.
In spite of the rain on opening day, an arch of orange and blue balloons greeted the steady stream of customers who flooded the crosswalk and held up traffic in front of the store.
The checkout lines at each of the eight registers stretched more than seven customers long, choking nearby aisles.
“It’s been like this all day, even with the rain,” said employee Liz Lockwood, 27. “The locals — it don’t bother them.”
Lockwood, a Trader Joe’s crew member, said 127 people waited to crowd into the store at the 8 a.m. opening. By 9 a.m., 600 people had walked through the doors.
Vinnie Athey, a 25-year-old intern with Reformed University Fellowship, said he went to the store and expected a spectacle similar to Walmart during Black Friday. He said the atmosphere was lively but more civil than he expected.
“We were really just coming for the festivities,” Athey said. “What we got was an island adventure.”
The business Trader Joe’s has been enjoying seems to be trickling into neighboring stores in the plaza, said PetSmart operations manager RaeAnna Thornton.
Thornton said the pet store has seen more foot traffic in the last month since Trader Joe’s moved into the space next door.
“It’s ridiculous how many Trader Joe’s bags come in here and how many Trader Joe’s carts wander around,” she said.
That’s partly because the two markets are related, Thornton said.
“The kind of people who tend to shop at Trader Joe’s tend to shop here,” she said. “If you’re likely to care about the quality of your food, you’ll also care about catering to the needs of your pet.”
Because Trader Joe’s opened after many students left town for Winter Break, Store Manager Jodi McCullough said employees became familiar with many of Gainesville’s permanent residents.
“The last two weeks have been a great opportunity to meet the folks that live here all year round, for locals to come in and check out the store,” she said.
So far, McCullough said, orange chicken, the 99-cent handmade Italian pasta, Green Plant juice and the whole selection of Indian food have been best sellers.
“This is a town of foodies in Gainesville, and I think we’ve tapped into that market well,” she said. “I think this is a really great addition to the grocery landscape.”
Trader Joe’s opened at 8 a.m. on Dec. 12 in Butler Plaza to a crowd of more than 100 people. About 600 people had walked through the doors by 9 a.m.
