One business that locals frequently requested is Trader Joe’s, and now we have one.

This popular grocery store had humble beginnings. In 1958, Joe Coulombe took over a small chain of Pronto markets in the California area and watched them grow. After he saw how popular they got, he opened the first Trader Joe’s and watched it take off from there.

Trader Joe’s is one of many well-known grocery stores across the U.S. providing a large variety of specialty items. The stores themselves are not usually that big most of the time, and that does not give much space to maneuver around the store, especially if it’s busy.

But, is Trader Joe really all that? Surveyed student responses were divided on whether’s TJ’s was overhyped or not. Some said how much of an amazing store it is, and some said everything is overpriced and disorganized. Emma Mullinax states “I haven’t been to the Trader Joe here, but I’ve been to other ones. Trader Joe’s has more options than Target, Walmart, Kroger, etc. There are also more organic foods at Trader Joe than anything else.” Eric Joy said that Trader Joe’s is best for “exotic foods.”

If you’ve never been to Trader Joe’s, what should you get? Some suggest the dark chocolate peanut butter cups, the dried mangoes, and the black tea sweetened with peach. But some of the products are a little weird. For example, Dark Chocolate Watermelon sticks. Ube Tea Cookies Purple Yam Shortbread Cookies. I guess these count as “exotic,” and maybe some are brave enough to try them.

If you want to check out Trader Joe’s for yourself, you can find it off of 72 in Huntsville in the Mid City area.