Earlier this month, Dealer Joe’s celebrated the grand opening of a brand new retailer situated on the bottom ground of an condo complicated in Sherman Oaks.
The chain isn’t new to the neighborhood, nevertheless. Simply throughout the road is one other Dealer Joe’s — a “legend” that has served clients since 1973, retailer representatives stated.
The preliminary plan was to shut the previous location when the brand new department was prepared — each are off the 101 Freeway on Riverside Drive. However ultimately, the corporate determined it could be “enjoyable” to maintain each open, in keeping with Matt Judd, the brand new retailer’s supervisor.
“Our enterprise on this metropolis has been so super, so we determined to maintain them each,” he stated. “Town deserves it.”
The brand new retailer is about 40% greater than the one throughout the road, with a big choice of merchandise and extra aisles for purchasers to browse, Judd stated. It additionally provides parking in an underground storage — an enormous draw for purchasers cautious of navigating the previous cramped parking zone.
On Friday round midday, clients flowed out and in of the neighboring shops.
The brand new retailer is about 40% greater than the one throughout the road.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Occasions)
“This one’s means higher,” buyer Steve Emrick stated as he grabbed a purchasing cart to move into the brand new retailer. “The opposite retailer can get fairly congested, and the parking was not as tight right here.”
One other shopper, Jacob Ruiz, stated he frequented the older location, however was excited to go to the brand new one for the primary time. He stated parking was a breeze, and as he left, he swore he’d “by no means return” to the opposite location.
However he additionally didn’t suppose the growth was utterly obligatory for the realm.
“Not right here. They need to enterprise out to different neighborhoods,” he stated.
Each shops have been nonetheless crowded — Judd stated he anticipated numerous clients to remain loyal to the 1973 Dealer Joe’s.
Olga Virov stated she’s shopped on the smaller retailer for about 20 years. She was impressed by the parking choices the brand new retailer provided, however since she usually walks to the grocery retailer, she didn’t see the necessity to make the swap.
“This one is extra handy. It’s cozy, and it’s simpler for me to get to, so I desire to go to this one,” she stated of the older location. “I’m not planning to go to that one until I’m purchasing on the mall.”
Melany Figueroa-Garcia stopped on the older Dealer Joe’s on a grocery run. She stated she plans to maintain purchasing there, calling it cozier. Plus, she stated she thinks the parking system on the new location is complicated. However she did like the choice of a much bigger location.
“If this location doesn’t have one thing I need, I stroll over to the opposite location and get it,” she stated.
In a press release to The Occasions, Dealer Joe’s stated that each shops are anticipated to stay open.
“Our aim is all the time to deliver scrumptious merchandise at nice values to as many individuals as we are able to,” the assertion stated. “The easiest way to try this is to open extra shops.”
