KIPS BAY — Trader Joe’s is coming to Kips Bay ahead of schedule.
A Trader Joe’s store slated to open up shop in the place of a shuttered supermarket at East 32nd Street and Third Avenue will open this summer, ahead of the previous projected opening date in the fall, according to Alison Mochizuki, a spokeswoman for the chain.
Rumors have swirled online about a possible July opening, but Mochizuki did not offer any other specifics except that the store would open ahead of schedule.
When news of the new store broke in October, it was welcomed by neighbors, who have watched as the number of grocery stores in their neighborhood has slowly dwindled.
The Food Emporium that Trader Joe’s is replacing closed in January 2015, and last week a D’Agostino at East 35th Street and Third Avenue closed its doors, leaving a lone Gristedes open at East 32nd Street and Third Avenue.
