‘My new Disneyland’: Trader Joe’s opens in Riverdale, coming soon to Holladay, Herriman

RIVERDALE — Trader Joe’s opened its doors in Riverdale on Friday. Another location will open in Holladay next week, and a Herriman official says the company will open in that city next year.

“It is a huge deal for us,” said Brandon Cooper, community development director in Riverdale. The new Trader Joe’s fills a vacant space, for one, “but more importantly, it just creates one more reason for people to come to Riverdale city.”

The grand opening on Friday at 4060 S. Riverdale Road, where a Shopko once operated, drew a large crowd, with shoppers snaking around the building waiting to get in. Once the doors opened, they swarmed inside while a marching band played in front of the store. Riverdale leaders announced last December that Trader Joe’s would be coming to Riverdale Road, a busy commercial corridor serving Weber and Davis counties.

“It’s got a cult following. I think it’s one of those brands that people have really identified with,” said Cooper. “Despite the fact that they just offer simple groceries, they’ve done it in a way that people really, really love.”

Sarah Christensen of Morgan was on hand with her husband, Andrew Christensen. She didn’t know Friday was the grand opening of the Riverdale store, and her husband brought her as a surprise, knowing how much she likes the store.

“I’ll be here all the time. This is going to be my new Disneyland. So excited,” she said.

Myles Bradshaw, the store captain in Ogden, was decked out in a flowery shirt at Friday’s grand opening, like many other employees. He attributed the store’s popularity to a range of things.

“It’s everything. We have an amazing team, we have amazing products,” he said.

Whatever it is, Riverdale isn’t the only place where Trader Joe’s mania holds sway.

The Trader Joe’s website says a location in Holladay at 1895 E. Rodeo Walk Drive will open on Oct. 31, and construction moves ahead on a new location in Herriman off the northwest corner of Mountain View Corridor and 13400 South. The new commercial development coming together at the bustling Herriman intersection will also include a Target.

LaFollette has worked for the city of Herriman for around eight years, he said, “and in my time here, the most wished-for businesses among Herriman residents are Trader Joe’s and Target. It’s working out nicely that both of those businesses have chosen to locate basically at the same site.”

The Herriman Trader Joe’s, which would become the eighth in Utah, is to open sometime in 2026, LaFollette said, but company officials haven’t pinpointed a date.