Whither no Trader Joe’s?
Or why Mammoth is destined to remain a one-grocery store town.
“Welcome to Vons … your only option,” deadpans one checker as you pass through his checkout line at the Mammoth Vons.
The shadow of the Vons stores looms over the Eastern Sierra like the Eye of Sarun. The markets have largely had a monopoly on the Eastside grocery business, particularly in Mammoth, for several decades. But despite loud voices clamoring for competition, Vons will likely retain its perch for many years to come.
“This is not for lack of trying,” said Paul Rudder, owner of the Luxury Outlet and Sierra Center Malls in Mammoth. He said he’s been trying to recruit a Trader Joe’s to the area for more than 10 years. He, his wife Kathleen and Sierra Center Mall partners have contacted every grocery store or chain in the country to come to the area, but with no luck.
The Facebook page, “Bring Trader Joe’s to Mammoth Lakes or Bishop” has been up for two years now. The page’s creator wishes to remain anonymous because of possible backlash. That’s right, retaliation over a Facebook page about a grocery store.
The “Bring T.J. here” guy told The Sheet he’s been called an idiot by neighbors and there was even one complaint in defense of Vons.
It would seem like a no-brainer to open a store in Mammoth with Vons the only competition, but it’s not so simple.
“If it were cheap and easy, everybody would be doing it,” Kyle Oney, owner of Manor Market in Bishop, said with a chuckle. It would take an easy $1 to $1.5 million, according to Oney, to open a grocery store in Mammoth that includes the proper inventory and infrastructure. There’s the long-term lease and exorbitant rent. And, there’s no guarantee of customers.
