In May of 2025, Hopkins announced that Barnes & Noble would no longer manage the Hopkins campus store located on 3330 St. Paul St. Instead, the Follett Higher Education Group was selected as the new operator. However, the new campus store’s time was short-lived, as it was quickly replaced with a Trader Joe’s that opened last March.
Hopkins students have long hoped for a Trader Joe’s, and they made sure to show their support for the new Trader Joe’s near campus. On March 6, 2026, Trader Joe’s celebrated its opening day, gifting free tote bags to the first 100 customers. A long line, primarily of Hopkins students, snaked from Trader Joe’s all the way to the front entrance of Charles Street Market for the first half of the day. The store was crowded with eager students up until closing time at 9 p.m.
Since its opening, the new Trader Joe’s has remained popular among many Hopkins students. Compared to previous options, Trader Joe’s has proven to be considerably more convenient for students who want greater variety, more affordable prices and better ambience. In addition to being a short walk from the Homewood campus, the new Trader Joe’s is also right next to a stop on the JHMI route.
“It’s just so easy to stop by [Trader Joe’s] whether I’m coming from campus after classes or from the med campus after finishing up research,” junior Minnie Kone said in an interview with The News-Letter. “Now that I’m living off campus and am off the meal plan, having access to so much great produce and options for meal prep really helps. And when I don’t have enough time to cook, there’s also a bunch of frozen meals, which can be a real time-saver during midterm season.”
Freshman Jojo Sanwick shared how even though they’re currently on the meal plan, they’ve benefited from the new Trader Joe’s as well.
“I’ve started getting yogurt and their cereal bars — it’s so nice to have when I’m running to my morning lectures and want a really quick breakfast,” Sanwick said. “[Trader Joe’s] also has such good snack options, and I’ve had a lot of fun trying different snacks each week since the new store opened.”
Kone and Sanwick also described how the new Trader Joe’s has helped the University’s social scene, as many Hopkins students have started regular Trader Joe’s shopping trips with friends. Sophomore Olive Flatz emphasized that going to Trader Joe’s has made grocery shopping feel more like a fun activity rather than a chore.
“Going to Trader Joe’s is literally my favorite thing to do these days,” Flatz said. “Last Friday night, my friends and I were planning to go out, but then I was like, ‘I kinda need to wake up early tomorrow, and I’ve really been craving mochi ice cream — what if we just go to Trader Joe’s to do some grocery shopping instead, then spend the rest of the night trying every flavor of mochi ice cream?’ And so that’s what we did, and it was amazing.”
Trader Joe’s is well known for its wide selection of unique products, which Hopkins students have shown interest in as well. Senior Scanlon Schwimmer described his eagerness to try some of Trader Joe’s classics for his very first time.
“I’m really looking forward to having Everything But the Bagel seasoning, and the Tom Yum snack mix sounds so good too,” Schwimmer said.
In addition to its year-round staples, Trader Joe’s offers many high-demand seasonal products. This spring, Hopkins students now have easy access to seasonal items such as tulips, Garlic Butter Irish Potato Chips, Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins and Springle Jangle. Next semester, Hopkins students will also be able to get famous fall products from Trader Joe’s, including Maple & Sea Salt Kettle Corn, Apple Pie Spread and Pumpkin & Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix.
“I’m so excited to try as much as possible, especially since this is my last year here [at Hopkins],” Schwimmer said. “I just wish we had gotten this Trader Joe’s sooner.”
