Reading got its first-ever Trader Joe's on Wednesday morning, as the grocery chain kicked off a grand-opening celebration at 9 a.m. at its newest location, 34 Walkers Brook Drive in the Crossing at Walkers Brook. The 9,865-square-foot store moved into a former Staples location just off Route 128 and Interstate 95, filling a retail corridor already anchored by The Paper Store, Golf Galaxy, Home Depot, Jordan's Furniture, and Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza.
According to Boston 25 News, the opening is part of Trader Joe's ongoing expansion in Massachusetts, where the company now operates 27 stores statewide. The Reading location hired more than 40 new crew members from Reading and surrounding communities, while also bringing in additional employees transferred from nearby Trader Joe's stores, The Reading Post reports.
Store Captain Paul Lembo and the store's crew members were on hand to welcome customers for the first time, per the same account. The newspaper notes this marks the first Trader Joe's location in Reading, giving residents a long-awaited alternative to driving to neighboring towns for the chain's signature groceries.
A First Look Inside Before Doors Opened
Ahead of the public opening, readingrecap.com published an exclusive video walkthrough of the store, offering residents a preview of the aisles before the crowds arrived. The outlet credited Nakia Rohde from Trader Joe's Public Relations and Captain Lembo for guiding the tour.
Like other Trader Joe's locations, the new Reading store participates in the company's Neighborhood Shares Program, the station's report notes, donating unsold but still-fit products to local nonprofit and community-based organizations seven days a week.
Part Of A Broader 2026 Expansion Push
The Reading opening fits into a larger pattern for the chain this year. Trader Joe's announced plans to open 25 new stores across 15 states in 2026, according to MassLive, with Massachusetts among the states slated to gain new locations in both Quincy and Reading — though at the time of that report in May, neither store had a confirmed opening date.
MassLive also reported that the chain had already opened four other locations earlier in the year, in Hamden, Connecticut; Miller Place, New York; McKinney, Texas; and Woodinville, Washington, as Trader Joe's pushed its national footprint past 600 locations across 42 states. A company spokesperson told the outlet that Trader Joe's is actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as it hopes to open more new neighborhood stores each year.
For Reading shoppers, the wait is now over, with a brand-new grocery option sitting right off the highway alongside the town's existing retail hub.
