Merriam gets its first grocery store in years as Trader Joe's opens its doors Wednesday morning

MERRIAM, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.

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Merriam is welcoming its first grocery store in eight years with a new Trader Joe's opening Wednesday morning at Antioch and Shawnee Mission Parkway.

The city has been without a grocery store since 2018. Now, residents are getting two at once — Trader Joe's and an Aldi, which is joining Merriam Town Center just a few blocks away.

Both stores are part of larger redevelopment efforts in Merriam. The area surrounding the new Trader Joe's is called Merriam Grand Station. Future plans for the development include a restaurant and more than 200 apartments.

To help fund the project, the city committed $32 million in bonds and extended the TIF district around Interstate 35 through 2037.

I first covered Merriam's plans for a new grocery store in spring 2025, before Trader Joe's was even announced as the tenant. Since then, residents and city officials have shared what this development means to the community.

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"We've heard from our community that that's something that was a priority for them," said Caitlin Gard, Merriam's assistant city administrator.

Residents have also expressed excitement about the new options close to home.

"I'm super excited being able to have something in our town and local and closer than driving outside of Merriam,” said Kristin Garcia, resident.

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Trader Joe's will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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