Do you wish there was a Trader Joe's in Champaign-Urbana? Sign this petition to help show TJ's that C-U could support a store!

The Champaign-Urbana area is the ideal spot for the next Trader Joe's. As a community we are quite diverse, enjoying unique items, and we are quite environmentally and socially aware, enjoying organic and fair trade items. Nestled in the heart of central Illinois, much of our community is also frugal. All of these characteristics of our community align well with Trader Joe's central concept of Value: great food + great prices = value.

Champaign-Urbana is made up of people from all over the country and all over world. Many are drawn by the University of Illinois that largely defines our town. While this may cause many shifts in the population throughout the year as students come and go, it also stabilizes the community as a whole. As long as the university is here, our community will thrive. People often move here from other cities that had Trader Joe's and miss the ability to shop there. Some even periodically travel the 2-3 hours to get to the nearest Trader Joe's in Chicago or Indianapolis! Now that's dedication! Likewise, it should be noted, people from all over central Illinois will happily drive into CU to shop at Trader Joe's as is evidenced by the wide variety of Illinois cities represented in this petition. While CU may be on the smaller side, when surrounding communities are taken into account, the market is large! And lastly, health conscious university students on a budget make up the perfect market for Trader Joe's. And as evidenced by several natural food stores and the expanding Farmer's Market in Urbana, this community values natural and organic foods.

While there has been some concern about pushing out the local natural food stores, we believe that Trader Joe's would fill a different niche in our community. It would simply offer more choices and if located well, would most likely draw an entirely different market of customers that do not ordinarily shop at these other stores.

So, Trader Joe's, we implore you to build your next Trader Joe's in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Just tell your delivery trucks to stop off here on their way from Chicago to Indianapolis and you won't be disappointed!

Sincerely,

The people of Champaign-Urbana