MENOMONEE FALLS NEWS

Menomonee Falls lost its Fresh Thyme Market. Residents are pushing for it to be replaced by a Trader Joe's.

Cathy Kozlowicz
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Menomonee Falls residents are petitioning to have a Trader Joe's near its downtown where Fresh Thyme Market once was.

Since Fresh Thyme Market closed in August 2020 at N89 W16849 Appleton Ave., many village residents have pressed for a Trader Joe's at that location.The vacant building offers 29,050 square feet of space, according to the listing on the Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis website.

Cailyn Kison, social media manager for the Menomonee Falls Downtown Facebook page, has rallied residents around the idea, with a May 10 post saying "We think the old Fresh Thyme building would be a perfect fit for Trader Joe’s and an amazing addition to our Downtown!"

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Kison said that since that post,  nearly 1,000 people have filled out a form requesting a Trader Joe's at that location. The post itself has garnered more than 500 likes, 200 comments, 115 shares and more than 23,000 views.

"I was shocked," she said of the response.

Public Relations Manager for Trader Joe's Nakia Rohde said the company considers many new locations each year and said customers can request one in their city. "There are no guarantees, but being wanted matters to us," she said in an email to a reporter.

Menomonee Falls Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald said he hears "all the time" that Menomonee Falls would be an ideal place for a Trader Joe's.

But he said that the village reached out to the company about three years ago and were told there was no interest at that time. He said he might consider approaching the company again. 

Reasons village leaders cited why Trader Joe's would be a good fit for the former Fresh Thyme Market building include:

  • A desirable location near downtown, which has grown in the last couple years and which attracts people, in part, through events at its newly renovated Village Park. Matt Carran, director of community development, noted the former Fresh Thyme Market is also close to Highways 41 and 45, providing easy access to people coming in to town. 
  • The quaint, small-market feel of a Trader Joe's and the specific brands the grocer offers, said Kison.
  • Ample parking, which is one of Trader Joe's specific criteria for new store locations, according to company officials on the 2018 podcast "Inside Trader Joe's - Please Won't You Be My Neighborhood Store." The Fresh Thyme Market building has 100 parking stalls.
  • Housing growth — including those within walking distance of the former Fresh Thyme Market — could make the village attractive to a store like Trader Joe's, according to Fitzgerald. 
  • A strong local economy and large "daytime population" because of the number of jobs provided by  hospitals, corporations, schools and more, Fitzgerald said. Examples of large private employers include Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Kohl's Corp., Wells Fargo Financial and Milwaukee Tool,

Village President Dave Glasgow said that, for many of these reasons, a Trader Joe's would be "a perfect fit" for the village. "I wish the residents the best of luck and much success (in their petition). This (getting a Trader Joe's) would be a huge win for our village," he said.

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Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.