When Toto pulled back the curtain, the results were disappointing.
But shoppers walking into Trader Joe’s yesterday — in Compo Shopping Center, not Oz — got more than they expected.
The specialty grocery store’s curtain — the one against the back wall — was gone, revealing a new, improved space. With Silver’s relocating a few doors away (to its original location), Westport’s favorite spot for frozen chicken tikka masala and triple ginger snap cookies has now doubled in size.
The expanded Trader Joe's has more produce, more space -- even more artwork on the back walls.
The Westport store, now in its 15th year — I know, I didn’t believe that either — is not adding any new products. But the extra space means more room — 6 shelves of soy milk, say, not 3 — ensuring far fewer shortages.
It will also alleviate the cramped aisles and shopper bottlenecks that caused even the most chill vegan to walk out with both healthy food and high blood pressure.
With Phase I nearly complete, the next step is remodeling the “old” section. That’s trickier than working behind a curtain. The floor will be replaced, new cash registers installed, new artwork hung — all at night.
The target date — knock on the new wood — is sometime in March.