You have until May 31 to cast your vote to help Kaysville fill this specialty niche.

Lindsey Jackson, wife of City Councilmember Nate Jackson, is a local Kaysville resident who wants to be involved in her community. She loves Trader Joe’s, but the four Utah locations are far away and inconvenient, Jackson said. “The Trader Joe’s model would fit our hometown culture and would be fabulous for jobs, sales tax revenues, and to revitalize a previously tired commercial area for our city.”

Jackson said Provo and Orem conducted a competition to lure a Trader Joe’s and it really became a community grass roots effort. She said Orem was successful in enticing Trader Joe’s to come to their city and she is hoping for the same result for Kaysville. She said Kaysville and its surrounding areas meet the desired demographic relative to income levels and size of neighboring communities. Jackson has been talking to property owners to do something great in the former Bennion Crafts Building at 354 North Main Street. She said Trader Joe’s has requirements such as utilizing existing commercial space (the company does not build new), 12,000 square feet of parking, and long-term leasing (they do not purchase the properties). Jackson said property owner, Michael Romney, has done research to determine what Trader Joe’s would want and has worked closely with the company broker.

Mayor Tamara Tran and Jackson have been working together on this for some time once they heard the company was searching for a Davis County location. She said the proposed location is centrally located directly off I-15 and Main Street and within a 10-mile radius of larger communities such as Farmington and Layton. It is close to the Davis Technical College, which serves over 7,000 students as well as having proximity to the Weber State College Davis Campus, Jackson said. “There are also no specialty stores like the Trader Joe’s concept in the local area,” Tran said. 

The big campaign launch party was held on Monday, May 8, at the Kaysville Creamery to publicize, request, and facilitate more than 100,000 requests for a Trader Joe’s in Kaysville. Anyone in Utah can cast their vote for this location and the hope is for everyone to get the word out, be influencers, post on social media and facilitate more than 100,000 votes.

To engage the community, an exciting contest is being held in partnership with the property owner so that every person who visits the website and enters the Kaysville location selection will be entered to win a $500 Trader Joe’s gift card. There is no age limit to enter and entails a simple form “to request a Trader Joe’s in my city.” Tran said there are banners up around the city and flyers being distributed.  

Tran said after the May 31 deadline, Trader Joe’s will take the data, conduct a site visit, and make their selection. She said the corporate headquarters review site recommendations twice a year and Kaysville is hoping to know by fall whether they are the lucky winners. Although there are multiple local development and business happenings, Tran said “this type of business can revitalize an older commercial area, open the door to attract additional businesses and restaurants, and just bring new energy and people to the Kaysville community.” She said the community group has done their homework and hopes for an exciting and rewarding outcome.

Be sure to cast your vote for Kaysville for the next Utah Trader Joe’s location. For more information, visit the website: traderjoeskaysville.com or see the daily posts and request progress on their Facebook page: TraderJoesKayville. λ