Trader Joe's May Open in Brooklyn

Brooklyn could soon see its first Trader Joe's grocery store, as one of New York's most in-demand retailers nears a deal to lease a space near downtown, sources say.

The story was first reported yesterday in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

With its one city location in Union Square, the modestly priced gourmet grocer — offering cheap wine, free samples, and pre-made dinners stocked by 20-somethings in Hawaiian t-shirts — has won the hearts of many New Yorkers since it opened in early 2006.

"We heard they signed a letter of intent," the chairman of retail leasing at Prudential Douglas Elliman, Faith Hope Consolo, said of the leasing deal, which involves an old bank building on Court Street and Atlantic Avenue.

Trader Joe's entry into the borough will be a welcome one, Ms. Consolo said. Shoppers and landlords alike have put the grocer in high demand.

The company has been cautious to expand in the city. While Whole Foods mega-stores seem to be popping up throughout Manhattan, Trader Joe's has only one other site planned for the city: a store in Queens.

A spokeswoman for the owner of the property, Two Trees Management, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Trader Joe's did not respond to requests for comment.