The Durst Thriftway closed last fall in the face of stiff competition from nearby alternatives like Fred Meyer, Zupan's and City Market. If Trader Joe's opens its store in the building, it would need only about 12,000 sf. The remaining square footage would likely be sublet, maybe to existing property tenants like Sammy Flowers and the Upfront Café.

Trader Joe's operates five stores in Oregon, including four in the greater Portland area. Trader Joe's was founded in 1958 by Joe Coulombe as a chain of convenience stores called "Pronto " markets in the Los Angeles area. The concept was expanded and the name was changed to Trader Joe's in the late 1960s.

Trader Joe's was sold to a private, family-run company in 1979, and Coulombe retired in 1988. Under current CEO John Shields, Trader Joe's has expanded to 131b outlets in Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland.