Joseph Coulombe, who in 1967 parsed a few cultural trends, added his retail instincts and created Trader Joe’s, the popular grocery chain known for unusual foods, a generous wine selection and a laid-back atmosphere, died on Friday at his home in Pasadena, Calif. He was 89.

The death was confirmed by his son, Joseph.

In the mid-1960s Mr. Coulombe (pronounced coo-LOAM) owned a modest chain of convenience stores in the Los Angeles area, Pronto Markets, but began to realize he couldn’t compete with better-financed convenience chains like 7-Eleven.

He had noted that education levels in the United States were increasing and that Boeing was planning a new plane, the 747, that he thought would mean more international travel and thus more interest among Americans in exotic foods. He also read somewhere that the more education people had, the more alcohol they drank.

He fashioned those and other tidbits into Trader Joe’s, opening the first store in Pasadena, Calif. He gave it a South Seas motif, had employees wear tropical shirts and be extra friendly, and included exotic cheeses and foods from afar among the stock for the adventurous palate.