The California Neighborhood Where Trader Joe's Faces A Second Trader Joe's

Residents of Sherman Oaks, California are seeing double, as the neighborhood now features two Trader Joe's stores directly across the street from one another. One has been a community staple for over 50 years, while the neighboring location opened on June 6, 2025. Its placement caused a buzz both locally and online as folks began wondering how T.J.'s decides where to open new locations. The most pressing question, however, concerned what would become of the classic store. Old school T.J.'s fans can rest easy, though, as there are currently no plans to close the senior store. Both will continue to provide shopping convenience on Riverside Drive. The new location is even labeled as "Sherman Oaks too" on the Trader Joe's website, which wouldn't make much sense if there were no other locations nearby.

"Yes, we now have two stores in Sherman Oaks across the street from each other," spokesperson Nakia Rohde told Inc. in July 2025. "We've had a great relationship with our customers in Sherman Oaks for 52 years, and we plan to keep both stores open." They continued, "Since Trader Joe's began in 1967, we have been in growth mode. Some years, we grow more than others, and our goal is always to bring delicious products at great values to as many people as we can. The best way to do that is to open more stores." California has the most Trader Joe's locations, and it's even getting five new stores in 2025, so two T.J.'s within 100 yards of one another may be the shopping wave of the future.

The older store (the fifth Trader Joe's ever opened) strums the heartstrings of sentimental Sherman Oak shoppers. The location, 14119 Riverside Drive, boasts 3.5 out of 5 stars on Yelp, and according to one reviewer on the new location's Yelp page, the senior store has more cash registers. The new kid on the block at 14140 Riverside Drive has earned 4.7 out of 5 stars thus far, with impressed customers calling it "spacious." According to Inc., it's 40% larger and also has a bigger parking lot than its predecessor.

Executives remain tight-lipped about the true "why" behind the new location's placement. Shoppers speculated that the fresh store would eventually replace the more mature establishment, but according to a TikTok video from user @shavspaper, who spoke with an employee at the new location, the 50-year-old store just renewed its lease and will be around for "at least three years." The neighboring stores have created much curiosity and attention, which may have been the "why" all along.

In the end, this development is a win-win for shoppers and Trader Joe's alike. "If this location doesn't have something I want, I walk over to the other location and get it," customer Melany Figueroa-Garcia shared with the Los Angeles Times. And since Trader Joe's is privately owned, profits from both stores go to the same company.