Much to my pleasant surprise, the store seems enormous, bigger than I expected. My brain was actually having trouble wrapping around the idea that my carless self can now buy anything in this store and not mastermind some complicated method of getting it home. I can finally just walk! I'm a pretty jaded New Yorker, but I have to say this was a lot more thrilling than I expected. The below photos barely capture all the new store has to offer...
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The wait is finally almost over... The Forest Hills store will be the third in Queens, after Rego Park on Metropolitan, and Long Island City. The store will be 17,000 square feet in size.
On Tuesday, November 7th, Trader Joe’s will open a new Forest Hills, New York store. The new store is located at 69-65 Yellowstone Blvd. Moments before doors open at 8 am, there will be a brief ceremonial ribbon cutting. Store Captain Carlos Salazar and Trader Joe’s Crew Members will be on hand to welcome customers to their new neighborhood store.
This 17,000 sq. ft. store is located between Queens Blvd. and Yellowstone Blvd. a block away from Austin St. Its interior artwork will highlight the rich comic book history of the neighborhood.
As a neighborhood grocery store, Trader Joe’s prides itself on hiring where its stores are located. Hiring efforts are still underway. Anyone interested in applying can visit traderjoes.com/careers for more information.
In addition, through the company’s longstanding Neighborhood Shares Program, the new Forest Hills Trader Joe’s will donate 100% of products that go unsold but remain fit to enjoy to a range of non-profit, community-based organizations, seven days a week.
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| A register at the Long Island City Trader Joe's this past weekend. |
KUKU Korean, which opened recently on 70th Road (Restaurant Row), looks amazing. They have other locations in Williamsburg and Long Island City. I have yet to try it, but really looking forward to it. If you have, share what you think in the comments below...
.... and you won't need a car to get there, finally.
As I always said, the one on Metropolitan Ave. might as well be in Nebraska if you are like most of us carless FoHi residents. So this new store, opening where the former Key Food used to be, on Yellowstone Blvd. in the new building going up between MacDonald Park and Gerard Towers, will be just awesome.
Finally, central Forest Hills is getting a terrific big chain supermarket option.
Although come to think of it, there are still a few more things I'd like to see open here. A bookshop, for one. A place to get a decent sandwich on the fly like a Pret. And maybe a salad place (though Natural does make some good salads these days, and TJ's has plenty in that department, too.)
Anyway, this is really good news for our 'hood. Read more about it here: Trader Joe's Confirms New Forest Hills Store
(By the way, didn't I tell you back when the rumors started about this new Trader Joe's that the company never actually denied the rumor, despite what was reported? They said something like "we have no current plans." Which obviously did not mean they have no future plans :)
.... Austin Street Pizza!
Hands down, I have to say this is our favorite pizza in Forest Hills these days.
Located at the corner of Austin Street and 72nd Ave., it opened a couple of years ago. If you haven't tried it, you're really missing out on something special.
How to describe their slices? Perfect, crispy yet chewy crust, and sauce and cheese that is so fresh and amazing.
My one gripe, I guess, is that it still is one of the only pizza places in the neighborhood, if not THE only, that doesn't deliver. But that's fine. It makes it that much more special to walk on over to grab one of their sublime slices.
I'm also looking forward to the reopening of their outdoor seating come the warmer weather, but inside is also one of the more fun and lively places to hang out in Forest Hills.
There is a bunch of empty retail space in Forest Hills these days as we emerge from the craziness of the past few years, but for my money this one, at the corner of Austin St. and Ascan, is one of the best in the neighborhood. Great corner location on a quieter but still very busy corner of Forest Hills with tons of foot traffic and a gorgeous building to boot.
What can you see coming in here? A cafe or some other kind of eatery? (Dunkin is right across the street.) Long-time readers will know I've been saying for years one of the few places we can use here in Forest Hills is one of those make-your-own salad places.
The other thing we could use here is a bookshop, which are staging a comeback these days as more people embrace taking a nice break from all their screens and getting lost in a relaxing good real (as in physical, print) book. I can only imagine the rent for this prime space so it might be out of the reach of a bookshop at this point in time, but I'm sure someone can figure it out. If not here, then there are plenty other available retail spaces right now for a bookshop to open Forest Hills.
Walked by this place today and it was already pretty busy. The location is 107-15 71st. Road in Forest Hills, a few doors down from Mighty Quinn's BBQ.
