David P. Willis | Asbury Park Press

Time

BRICK - The old Ethan Allen furniture store at Brick Plaza is on its way to becoming Trader Joe's.

The township on Tuesday issued a zoning permit to Retail Project Management NY of Holbrook, New Jersey, for "Rehabilitation, Tenant Fit-Up - Interior alterations for new tenant. Changing from Ethan Allen to 'Trader Joes.'"

The zoning permit is the first official signal that Trader Joe's is coming to Brick.

In recent weeks, Mayor John Ducey has spoken about the possibility on Facebook Live chats.

David P.Willis

"After years of work trying to get Trader Joe's to come to our great town I was so happy to see the zoning permit be submitted for a tenant fit up for their newest store," Mayor John Ducey said Tuesday. "Trader Joe's is the most requested business from residents from every part of town and to able to see it come to fruition is such a wonderful thing."

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Ducey thanked those who helped to bring Trader Joe's to Brick, including residents who submitted requests for the store to come. "Trader Joe's coming to Brick makes Brick an even better place to raise families or come to retire.," he said. "Their great food plus great prices equals a great addition for our community."

Last month, a spokeswoman for Trader Joe's said the grocery chain was interested in the township. "All I can tell you at this time is that we are interested in bringing a store to that area and are taking the appropriate steps to make that happen," the spokeswoman said.

Have you seen a construction project in Monmouth or Ocean counties and wanted to know what is going there? Contact business writer David P. Willis at dwillis@gannettnj.com, and we will look into it for a future column. Meanwhile, join the What's Going There group on Facebook and stay in touch with the latest developments.

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