Article content continued

“Getting the stuff is hijinks at this point,” he said.

Mr. Hallatt received a cease and desist letter from Trader Joe’s in March and the company served him with a lawsuit on May 1.

Mr. Hallatt opened his neighbourhood shop in January 2012 to meet customer demand for the U.S. grocer’s best-selling products. Each week he made at least one trip to Seattle or Portland to pick up $5,000 worth of Trader Joe’s products at 15 different stores and resells it at Pirate Joe’s. He estimates he has spent $350,000 at Trader Joe’s since his store opened.

The lawsuit has since prompted Mr. Hallatt to drop the “P” from the shop’s name, making Pirate Joe’s “Irate Joe’s.”

“For us, it just points out the ridiculousness of it all,” he said.

Trader Joe’s has more than 390 stores in the U.S. but does not have any locations in Canada. Mr. Hallatt wanted to provide his customers with convenient access to the shop’s high-quality, unique products. Among the in-demand products he stocks are Trader Joe’s tapenades, organic cereals, soups, cookie butter and dark chocolate covered caramels — his daughter’s favourite.

“It’s silly that I have to go to this extent to get cereal without pesticides and whatever, but my thing is, it’s not fair for you to have to get in your car and drive 80 miles through traffic and the border, to get decent syrup,” he said.

During his trips to the U.S. retailer he said he was a respectful shopper, always sure not to clear out the store shelves, and that Trader Joe’s employees loved him.