In an announcement that was livestreamed via Facebook, Riverdale Mayor Braden Mitchell revealed that Trader Joe’s would be opening a new store in the city, making it the sixth location in the Beehive State and the first of its kind north of downtown Salt Lake City. Mitchell was assisted in making the announcement by Santa Claus, who presented the grocery chain’s gift-wrapped logo, which was accompanied by a “Coming in 2025” message.

A large banner welcoming the grocer also was unveiled.

The announcement was met with cheers by those in attendance at the event. Mitchell noted that the new Trader Joe’s would be occupying a spot next to Ashley Furniture in the old Shopko lot at 4060 S. Riverdale Road. He added that the store is expected to open sometime in the summer.

Locals have been clamoring for a Trader Joe’s in the area for several years; there has been a preponderance of posts and organized groups campaigning for a Weber County location on Facebook and other social media platforms. There also has been a coordinated effort by Riverdale residents and city officials to engage the chain directly.

“Ever since Ashley went in, we knew there was potential for a tenant next door and we’ve had a citizen campaign,” Mitchell told the Standard-Examiner. “We had people sign up to kind of be over areas and try to get their neighbors to reach out. … And then we actually were doing it through the city, too. We had sent them multiple packets of information about the benefits of locating in Riverdale.”

Mitchell cited Riverdale’s central location, proximity to major freeway junction points, daily influx of tens of thousands of vehicles via Riverdale Road and the support offered by the city as draws for big companies.

“We support our businesses really well as a city,” Mitchell said. “We have a great staff, a really competent building department that gets them through that process quick and really works hard to help them meet their goals.”