--- title: The Man Who Kept Trader Joe's Whimsical description: "

At the Trader Joe’s I frequent here in Washington, D.C., there is a painting of a teary-eyed John Boehner on one wall and a WPA-style mural of protesters outside the Supreme Court demanding better cheap wine on another. At the Trader Joe’s in Philadelphia's Center City, each checkout line is named for a local thoroughfare: Race St., Market St., Walnut St. And back in Northern California, the Trader Joe’s two blocks from the house I grew up in has a painting of a historic stretch of downtown. In every city I’ve lived in, I’ve marveled at how Trader Joe’s can feel at once local and national.

" image: https://connect.regencycenters.com/hs-fs/file-3714641603-jpg/blog-files/lead1.jpg --- - [Home](https://www.regencycenters.com/) - [Properties](https://connect.regencycenters.com/properties) - [In Development](https://connect.regencycenters.com/in-development) - [Regency](https://connect.regencycenters.com/regency) - [Contact](https://connect.regencycenters.com/contact) - [Investors](http://investors.regencycenters.com) - [Tenants](https://connect.regencycenters.com/tenants) - [Blog](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog) - [Corporate Responsibility](https://www.regencycenters.com/corporate-responsibility) - [Leadership](https://www.regencycenters.com/leadership) - [Investors](http://investors.regencycenters.com) - [Tenants](https://www.regencycenters.com/tenants) - [Careers](https://www.regencycenters.com/regency/careers) [![Regency Centers](https://www.regencycenters.com/ResourcePackages/Regency/assets/dist/images/regency-centers.svg)](https://www.regencycenters.com/) [![Search](https://www.regencycenters.com/ResourcePackages/Regency/assets/dist/images/icon-search.svg) Properties](https://www.regencycenters.com/properties) ![Menu](https://www.regencycenters.com/ResourcePackages/Regency/assets/dist/images/icon-menu.svg) Menu - [Properties](https://www.regencycenters.com/properties) - [In Development](https://www.regencycenters.com/in-development) - [Regency](https://www.regencycenters.com/regency) - [Contact](https://www.regencycenters.com/contact) Search - [Inside Regency](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/topic/inside-regency) - [News Releases](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/topic/news-releases) - [Retailer News](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/topic/retailer-news) # The Man Who Kept Trader Joe's Whimsical [Jessica Sheard](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/author/jessica-sheard) [Retailer News](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/topic/retailer-news) [News Releases](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/topic/news-releases) December 5, 2014 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *From TheAtlantic.com* [![Illustration of George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt on beach in swimwear](https://connect.regencycenters.com/hs-fs/file-3714641603-jpg/blog-files/lead1.jpg?width=341&height=240&name=lead1.jpg)](https://connect.regencycenters.com/hs-fs/file-3714641603-jpg/blog-files/lead1.jpg) At the Trader Joe’s I frequent here in Washington, D.C., there is a painting of a teary-eyed John Boehner on one wall and a WPA-style mural of protesters outside the Supreme Court demanding better cheap wine on another. At the Trader Joe’s in Philadelphia's Center City, each checkout line is named for a local thoroughfare: Race St., Market St., Walnut St. And back in Northern California, the Trader Joe’s two blocks from the house I grew up in has a painting of a historic stretch of downtown. In every city I’ve lived in, I’ve marveled at how Trader Joe’s can feel at once local and national. How does it manage to pull off that duality? With a lot of calculation. Trader Joe's started out as a small chain in Southern California in the '60s, and its ambitions remained small until the early '90s, when the company began eyeing the East Coast. Executives were wary, though, that the chain's distinctly Southern Californian warmth would get lost in transit. That concern was routinely headed off under the guidance of CEO John Shields, who started in that role in 1989, when the chain had only 27 stores. By the time he retired in 2001, there were 158 Trader Joe's locations, revenues had increased roughly 15-fold, and the brand's quirky novelty hadn't faded. Shields died late last month at the age of 82. For complete article, [click here.](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/11/the-man-who-kept-trader-joes-whimsical/382587/) ##### Connect With Us [Join Our Mailing List](https://www.regencycenters.com/connect-with-us/)  > [Explore Our Markets](https://www.regencycenters.com/properties/our-markets)  > [Find a Space For Your Place](https://www.regencycenters.com/properties)  > ##### Related Stories [Aug 14 Southbury Green Honored for Outstanding Landscape Design in Southbury, CT](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/southbury-green-honored-for-outstanding-landscape-design-in-southbury-ct) [Jun 27 A New Urban Farm Has Sprouted at Regency’s Mellody Farm](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/urban-farm-sprouted-at-regencys-mellody-farm) [Sep 21 New Staircase Mural in Full Bloom at Regency’s Grand Ridge Plaza](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/new-staircase-mural-in-full-bloom-at-regencys-grand-ridge-plaza) [Jan 23 The Shops at Stone Bridge Takes Shape With Exciting New Retailers](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/the-shops-at-stone-bridge-takes-shape-with-exciting-new-retailers) [Dec 05 Tatte Bakery & Café Opens at Regency’s Westbard Square](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/tatte-bakery-café-opens-at-regencys-westbard-square) [Nov 15 New Grocers Expand in Regency’s Portfolio With Two Southern California Openings in 30 Days](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/new-grocers-expand-regencys-portfolio-with-two-southern-california-openings-in-30-days) [Feb 05 Regency Centers Announces Lone Tree Village Development in Colorado](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/regency-centers-announces-lone-tree-village-a-king-soopers-anchored-retail-destination-serving-the-ridgegate-community) [Sep 24 Regency Centers Unveils Ellis Village Center in Northern California](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/regency-centers-unveils-ellis-village-center-in-northern-california) [Jul 24 Regency Centers Completes $357M Portfolio Acquisition in Southern California](https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/regency-centers-acquisition-southern-california) Subscribe [![Regency Centers](https://www.regencycenters.com/ResourcePackages/Regency/assets/dist/images/regency-centers.svg)](https://connect.regencycenters.com/) - [Careers](https://www.regencycenters.com/regency/careers) - [Investors](http://investors.regencycenters.com/) - [News](http://investors.regencycenters.com/news-releases) - [Fresh Look](https://www.regencycenters.com/regency/fresh-look) - [Tenants](https://www.regencycenters.com/tenants) - [Contact](https://www.regencycenters.com/contact) [Find a Property](https://www.regencycenters.com/properties) [Leasing Agent](https://www.regencycenters.com/contact) ![Reg Listed NYSE](https://connect.regencycenters.com/hubfs/blog2018/images/stock-ticker.svg) [Regency Centers Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RegencyCenters) [Regency Centers Twitter](https://twitter.com/RegencyCenters) [Regency Centers Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/regencycenters/) [Regency Centers LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/regency-centers/) MEMBER **S&P 500** Regency Centers is a preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers located in suburban trade areas with compelling demographics. ©2026 Regency Centers [Terms of Service](https://www.regencycenters.com/terms-of-service) [Privacy Policy](https://www.regencycenters.com/privacy-policy) Cookie Settings ![Quantcast](https://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-XHwFJLhjBpfmt.gif) ![](https://connect.regencycenters.com/hs-fs/hub/1624561/file-3714641603.jpg) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jessica Sheard", "url" : "https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/author/jessica-sheard" }, "dateModified" : "2025-01-03T17:13:59.362Z", "datePublished" : "2014-12-05T15:52:05.000Z", "headline" : "The Man Who Kept Trader Joe's Whimsical", "image" : [ "https://connect.regencycenters.com/hs-fs/file-3714641603-jpg/blog-files/lead1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://connect.regencycenters.com/blog/man-kept-trader-joes-whimsical/", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4081/img/vast.png" }, "name" : "Regency Centers" } } ```