Trader Joe's To Open In Former Sam's Wine Space In South Loop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new Trader Joe's store may bring new life to the intersection of Wabash Avenue and Roosevelt Road in the South Loop.
The new Trader Joe's will open on Friday at 1147 S. Wabash Ave.
The former Union Bus Depot building had been home to a Sam's Wine and Spirits store, which featured a 55-seat wine bar with rotating pours by the glass and a cheese board, the Chicago Reader recalls.
Sam's closed the store in 2009, shortly before the liquor retailer merged with Binny's Beverage Depot. The former Sam's locations at 1720 N. Marcey St. in the Clybourn Corridor, and at 2010 Butterfield Rd. in Downers Grove, have been rebranded as Binny's.
Trader Joe's was founded by California entrepreneur Joe Coulombe in 1967, and since 1979 has been owned by the German company that is also behind the Aldi discount supermarket chain.
Trader Joe's is known for its healthy, low-cost meals and prepared produce, not to mention its "Two-Buck Chuck" wine. At its most recently-opened Chicago location, at 667 W. Diversey Pkwy., checkout lines a dozen people deep are common on weekday afternoons.
