Trader Joe's fans in the far suburbs might want to clear some freezer space. The specialty grocer is pushing deeper into Chicagoland, with one new store planned in Oswego and another set to revive the long-vacant Willowbrook Bowl site. Village officials in both communities confirmed the projects this week, though no one is committing to an opening date just yet.
Oswego Site Revealed
Trader Joe's has quietly posted an Oswego location at 1930 US-34 as "Coming Soon" on its official store locator, according to Trader Joe's. Local coverage reports the store will sit at the corner of Route 34 and Kendall Point Drive and is part of a Benderson Development plan that includes a roughly 12,500-square-foot grocery with adjacent retail, as reported by Shaw Local. Oswego leaders have framed the project as another sign the village is still in growth mode.
Willowbrook Will Redevelop A Neighborhood Landmark
In Willowbrook, the grocer is taking over a site with some serious nostalgia attached. The village announced that Trader Joe's will redevelop the former Willowbrook Bowl at 735 Plainfield Road after nearly a decade of vacancy, in a press release via Village of Willowbrook. The release notes that Willowbrook Bowl operated from 1963 until it closed in 2016, and quotes Mayor Frank A. Trilla saying, "This site has a special history in our community."
NBC Chicago also covered the announcements and reported that officials have not provided an opening date for the store.
What It Means For Shoppers
For suburban shoppers tired of trekking across counties for frozen orange chicken and cult-favorite snacks, the new locations could be a game changer. The Oswego store would be Trader Joe's first in Kendall County, according to Patch. Both projects extend the chain's reach into the outer collar counties, adding to the list of existing Chicagoland stores already shown on its official site.
Development Status And Next Steps
On the Oswego project, permits and planning records identify Benderson Development as the partner and point to interior build-out and additional retail space in the works, per Shaw Local. A commercial listing for nearby Prairie Market parcels also shows a grocery under construction at US-34, according to a property listing on Crexi, though the listing does not spell out exact construction timelines.
For now, the calendar remains a mystery for both sites. Neither Trader Joe's nor local officials have given a firm opening date, and NBC Chicago noted that no projected date was provided in public announcements. Local leaders say they will release construction updates and grand-opening details as the projects move ahead.
