An open letter to Dan Bane, CEO of Trader Joe's

Dear Bryan Palbaum,

Thank you for your steadfast leadership of the mighty and wonderful grocery chain full of Hawaiian adorned hipsters and cedar planked walls. The people of Pueblo, CO would like to issue a personal invitation to you and Trader Joe's to come and visit us (county population of 167,050 and growing)! You see, we recently had a well-known run-of-the-mill chain grocery store close down on the corner of 29th st. & Elizabeth, deserting a bustling corner and leaving locals to find a new watering hole for produce and essentials. It has left the north side of our hip, young, historic neighborhood with an empty parking lot and eyesore-like empty building which thankfully has become a Planet Fitness --- but we can't get pounds of anything there we can only attempt to lose them. 

The people of Pueblo would like to kindly request that you perform a market research study on our community and open one of your sensible, unique and beloved stores in our city at the crossroads of US-Hwy 50 and US-I-25...two of the busiest roads in America!

As townspeople we are signing this petition with five commitments we make to you:

We will welcome your store with open arms and open wallets!

We will partake freely and in abundance of your fresh produce, delectable samples, and organic fairtrade roasts. (We would also encourage you to carry our locally sourced coffee, 'Solar Roast'... And locally available and iconic Pueblo Chili...because we think you would like it!)

We will use every means of transportation to get to your store especially, environmentally friendly ones like walking and biking(on our bike lanes)! Opening this store will be saving the planet and reducing emissions because right now we have to carpool 44.51 miles to reach your store or 108 miles to purchase a bottle of two-buck-chuck! (I think you've expanded a wee bit closer to us since...but the point stands!)

We promise to provide you with a faithful and strong workforce. But do prepare for them to want to unionize...we are a UnionTown after all. You might find it even boosts your business nationwide when it happens here!

We have buckets of resident's looking for jobs with quality employers like Trader Joe's. With your employment ethics you will have no problem finding dedicated staff!

We will open and read the Fearless Flyer weekly, find our energy from powerberries and power greens and fill our neighborhood gardens with your front door foliage and tabletop florals! We will B.Y.O.B(bring your own bag) if you B.Y.O.B(Bring your own beer!)

Five reasons you should love us and grace us with your store's presence:

Not unlike Austin, Nashville, and other cities we are undergoing an urban renewal and our citizens are looking for healthier options and more diverse flavors! Have a chat with the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority - they have some great open space available to you - Just look at these plans... https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J5a5addoc/  

We have everything typical of a TJ's neighborhood. We have beautiful historic homes, a Chipotle, bike lanes and a swell university.

We know that the ability to buy directly from suppliers whenever possible is very important to you and we want you to know we have some incredible suppliers! Have you ever tasted a Pueblo Green Chile from Musso or DiSanti Farms or a Rocky Ford Cantaloupe?

Last but not least, we have loads of space for a warehouse and distribution center! It only makes sense because we are more centrally located at the corner of Hwy 50 & I-25 to all your stores in Denver, Colorado Springs, Santa Fe, & Albuquerque! We have many people who would welcome a job as a warehouse worker and the cost of living here is still affordable, so we invite you to do the math! (Because we have, and Pueblo keeps you winning!)

In conclusion, providing a location for our citizens to purchase affordable healthy food will bring transformation, especially for the children of our community. The jobs provided by a store and warehouse would bring much needed economic growth. 

Sincerely,
The People of Pueblo
--Who in addition to signing this petition will share it wildly on social media sharing why we want you and also go to your website and request a store! https://www.traderjoes.com/home/contact-us/request-a-store

P.s. The North Side PURA area is just one of many options! You might also consider moving into the already constructed 1016 Constitution Rd, Pueblo, CO 81001 -- You can move in wherever you want as long as it is actually in Pueblo City Limits!

P.P.S. Please tell  Theo Albrecht, Jr. that we aren't picky here...he can also send us an Aldi! While we do have tax incentives available --- Theo has US$20.6 billion net worth and we could really use some corporate investment in our town that doesn't seek to run our bank accounts dry!