Chronicle retail writer David Kaplan reports:

After weeks of rumors that Trader Joe’s is planning more stores in town, the grocer has made it official. The company will open two more local locations — one in the Memorial area and one inside the former Alabama Theater, company spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said.

In November the Monrovia, Calif.-based grocer announced its first planned Houston area store in The Woodlands Crossing Shopping Center.

All three stores are slated to open this year, Mochizuki said.

The Memorial-area store at 1440 S. Voss will be 14,000 square feet. The Montrose-area store at 2922 S. Shepherd, in the renovated movie theater that was used for years as a bookstore, will be 14,500 square feet. The Woodlands store at 10868 Kuykendahl will be 13,500 square feet.

Known for its quirky style and unique offerings, Trader Joe’s sells domestic and imported foods, including artisan breads, juices, international frozen food entrees, deli items, beer and wine.

“We’re really excited to come to Houston,” Mochizuki said. “We consider ourselves to be a neighborhood grocery store, and Houston is a wonderful fit for us.”

Trader Joe’s has more than 365 stores in 32 states, she said.

Last week, Trader Joe’s announced plans for its first store in San Antonio. The grocer also plans to open stores in Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano, according to its website. Mochizuki declined comment on further plans for Texas.

Trader Joe’s often locates in neighborhoods with affluent, well-educated people and a lot of traffic, said grocery analyst David Livingston of Waukesha, Wisc.-based DJL Research. It is among the top grocers in terms of sales per square foot, Livingston said.

“They typically don’t have large selections of anything,” he said. But, he added, the selection of unique products, including gourmet and organic items, can make shopping there “a treasure hunt experience.”

Its famously low-priced Charles Shaw — a.k.a., “Two-Buck Chuck” — bottles of wine range in price from $1.99 to $3.79, depending on the state. Mochizuki said Texans will be charged $2.99.

Livingston said Trader Joe’s also is notable for the large number of people with doctorate degrees working there part-time. “They pay pretty well, and it’s a fun place to work.” Employees sport Hawaiian shirts.

Local professional organizer Lisa Brooks was a Trader Joe’s shopper in Scottsdale, Ariz., about 10 years ago.

“This is a very quirky place,” Brooks recalled of her first impression.

It still seems quirky, she said, “but they have great products and great prices. You can find stuff you can’t find anywhere else.”

Trader Joe’s is “very contained,” she said. “You don’t have too many choices, but the choices are good.”

Brooks said she has been eagerly waiting for the grocer to land in Houston.

“It’s good,” she said, “for feeding my children and me healthy food on a budget.”