The new Trader Joe’s location in College Park will open on Thursday, Oct. 27.

In an email sent to the Hyattsville Wire, a spokeswoman for the popular grocery chain said that its new location at 4429 Calvert Rd. in the Aster mixed-use development will hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 8 a.m. next Thursday.

The 11,000-square-foot store, first reported by the Hyattsville Wire last year, will be the tenth Trader Joe’s in Maryland and the first in Prince George’s County.

In signs of how heavily it will market to college students, the interior of the store features murals of buildings on the University of Maryland campus and the college football stadium as well as the nearby College Park airport.

The store has already hired more than 100 staffers and store manager Joseph Martorellais is continuing to hire, with positions posted online here.

Grocery stores have become popular anchor tenants in developments such as Aster College Park because they draw customers throughout the week and are an added amenity for potential residents of the 393 apartments on site.

Trader Joe’s joins a competitive local grocery scene on the Route 1 corridor, with nearby Whole Foods in Riverdale Park and a Lidl in College Park, among others.

It will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

A two-level parking garage is accessible next to the store entrance on Calvert Road. Trader Joe’s customers can validate their parking in the store for 90 minutes of free parking. There are also three free street parking spots in front of the store.

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