Trader Joe's is scheduled to go before city officials next week seeking permission to sell alcohol at 1331 Wilshire Blvd., the clearest sign yet that the grocer plans to open a store in the former Rite Aid building it bought last year.
The hearing is set for Oct. 13 when “Trader Joe’s Company” is scheduled to request a Minor Use Permit to allow the sale of a full line of alcohol for off-premises consumption in conjunction with a 17,633 square foot grocery store.
Trader Joe's paid $22 million, about $1,236 per square foot, for the 17,800-square-foot building in December 2025. The Rite Aid closed in June of that year and while the site is adjacent to a still operating Pavillion’s store, the Rite Aid side of the lot has been fenced off since closure. The location did require a small zoning update which was approved in September of 2025.
The company has not formally announced any plans for the location but the regulatory hearing is evidence the plan is ongoing. A store at 1331 Wilshire would be the fourth Trader Joe's in Santa Monica provided all three of its current stores remain open.
For decades, the store on Pico Boulevard at 32nd Street was the city's only Trader Joe's. A second location opened at 2300 Wilshire in 2019 and a third opened downtown in 2022.
Meanwhile, a Venice location at 620 S. Lincoln Blvd. is moving through Los Angeles' approval process.
The company filed an application in April of this year for a 12,585-square-foot store in the former Fox Venice theater. A Los Angeles zoning administrator approved full-line alcohol sales from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.