After 18 years in their old James Village space, the relocated Lynnwood Trader Joe’s officially opened its doors Friday, joining Office Depot, JoAnne’s Fabrics and the other merchants on the southeast corner of 196th Street Southwest and Highway 99.

Customers were already lining up before the 8 a.m. opening, and when the doors flew open all were greeted in festive aloha style by a receiving line of employees who placed flowered leis over their heads.

First through the door was 17-year customer and local food bank volunteer Joan Graham.

“I love shopping at Trader Joe’s,” she said. “A big part of that is their community spirit. They’re among the biggest supporters of the food bank, and it just feels right to give back that support my grocery dollars.”

Occupying part of the former Safeway store, the new Trader Joe’s is larger with wider aisles, more light and an expanded selection of items that now includes one famous TJ product line missing from the old store: hard liquor (Washington State law limits sales of spirits to stores larger than 10,000 square feet – the old location fell just a few square feet short of this). But all the old favorites are here too – think orange chicken, frozen brown rice, and of course triple ginger snaps and JoJo’s.

The store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit the Lynnwood Trader Joe’s Facebook page here.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel