Trader Joe’s
130 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
If you’re looking for a place for niche snacks and hit or miss frozen food, then look no further. New York’s hottest club is this Trader Joe's. This Trader Joe's has everything: 22 cashiers, a line out the door, and a woman outside selling hats.
This building was made in 1924 and was originally The South Brooklyn Savings Institution. The bank was founded in 1850 and was quite successful. The original building was a block away and they eagerly expanded to a second building across the street. These buildings “became a landmark in what was then the leading retail section of Brooklyn.” Ultimately, however, the second building became “inadequate for the demands made upon it.” Hey! We’ve all been there!! The bank consolidated into a singular building on the corner of Court Street & Atlantic Avenue, which leads us to the lovely structure we have today!
I found very little info on the architects for the building: McKenzie, Voorhees & Gmelin (<— not a typo, that’s actually someone’s name). All I found is that they love art deco, which definitely checks out. The interior has super high ceilings that are decorated with incredibly detailed work. The space is flooded with light from the huge arched windows and ornate chandeliers. If it wasn’t such a chaotic shopping experience, the vibes would be immaculate.
The bank sold itself to another bank (for some reason that feels wrong) in 2006 and Trader Joe swooped in & opened there in 2008. I’m not 100% sure of when exactly in 2008 this happened, (trust me, I tried researching & I think Joe (of the Trader family) buried this info) but I can’t help but wonder if this had anything to do with that lil ol’ financial crisis we had. Hmm… not very nice of Mr. Joe to prey upon a failing historical bank. Reaaallyy makes you think…
Outside the store is a huge plaque commemorating the Revolutionary War. Joe, Trader loooooves wars. That’s why he designs his parking lots that way. This one doesn’t have a parking lot, but you still get that sweaty palm experience the moment you walk in and are bombarded with the echos of 22 checkout stations running at 100% capacity. I’ve never devoted myself enough to the craft to fully crunch the numbers, but if I had to guess I’d say that those 22 cashiers probably sling out at least 1,000,000 flirtatious encounters on the daily.
that guy looks really unhappy that I took a picture of him. I would be too. Now I feel bad.
ANYWAYS, back to why there’s that plaque there. Allegedly, this area was a hot spot for the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Long Island took place here and was the first major battle after the US officially stated its independence. Kind of embarrassing, but we actually Big Time Lost that battle, and the Brits gained access to a strategically important port for the rest of the war. Huge L on our part. Can I get an F in the chat?
(rejected joke for this section: Battle of Long Island??? Is that when I have to fight for the last everything bagel at the deli? HA HA. I’m so funny.) (also for those of you who didn’t know, Brooklyn IS a part of long island. no matter how many small beanies they wear, they can’t escape the facts)
she survived the Great War
I’m surprised every time the Revolutionary War gets brought up during my lil research sessions of all my buildings. It’s like so cool that they made Hamilton a real thing. I have been picking old ass buildings recently, so why am I shocked every time? I have the object permanence of a baby but instead of objects it’s wars.
My sister and I arrived at this establishment at a ripe 2 PM on a Friday and this place was PACKED. It got me thinking “Man, Paul Rudd has to be around here somewhere!” (Is that a joke only 4 people including myself will fully understand? Yes. Am I going to elaborate? No.) On weekends, lines form outside the door like it’s some kind of nightclub. There’s a bouncer at the front that won’t let you in unless you have at least 3 pieces of thrifted clothing on.
Walking into this particular Trader Joes is sort of like in the Hunger Games when Katniss gets beamed up via tube and enters a completely unfamiliar arena. Her bow & arrow is my chili onion crunch. Peeta has disguised himself as a bag of pork buns and Rue is of course giving out samples of something that will most certainly give me gas. Maybe I’m being dramatic. Like, is shopping here really that overwhelming or do I just need to go back on Lexapro?
Fun Facts
New York has a lot of these types of buildings where a modern-day company sets up shop in a really ornate building. Here are some notable mentions of a similar variety:
Official Retraction
Dearest readers, I must rescind something I said two weeks ago in the fun facts section of Trinity Center. I gave my sister some shit about geeking out over National Treasure (which I misspelled, like an idiot) and how the movie ends in that location. I am cursed to be an annoying little sister to the point where it can cloud my judgment. We proceeded to watch the film that night, and dammit I have to say she was right. It is cool that that’s where the treasure is (spoiler, sorry). And yeah, I did geek out when they were outside the church & I recognized the area. So, consider this my official retraction and apology for being a shithead little sister. It’s the cross I bear.
Anyway, see you next week!! Toodeloo!
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