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Woodbury wants a Trader Joe's

Social media campaign takes off

Woodbury, NJ boosters hope to persuade Trader Joe's to open a food store in a soon-to-close discount supermarket downtown.

City artist Jim McHugh's "Turn Woodbury's Bottom Dollar into a Trader Joe's" Facebook page went up Thursday, and by Friday morning had attracted more than 1,000 likes. And Ryan Morrison, who owns Tiki Tiki Board Games on Broad Street, is offering to get a Trader Joe's tattoo for the cause.

"It says how much demand there is for something like a Trader Joe's in the area," says McHugh, who with his artist wife, Erin, hopes to open a downtown studio and retail space. Adds Morrison, who was born and raised in the city, "I already have a tattoo in the shape of New Jersey, with a little heart on it where Woodbury is."

The city of 10,000 is rich in history and is the seat of Gloucester County. But its business district has struggled for decades, and Bottom Dollar's construction of a suburban-style store on Broad Street was controversial among many of the younger, preservation-minded residents who are bringing new energy to Woodbury.

"This is about, 'why the heck not?' It's about a positive attitude and positive momentum," artist Jaqualynn Knight says. "The people in the community are very passionate about this city."

--KEVIN RIORDAN