Trader Joe’s Bridgemarket opens on Thursday, December 2nd. Extended by the pandemic, the long wait is over. One of New York’s best loved stores arrives with a grace note of historic preservation.

By David Stone

The Roosevelt Island Daily News

The Historic Bridgemarket Is Now Trader Joe’s

The vaulted tile ceilings are structurally part of the Queensboro Bridge. An original market thrived there until the the Great Depression smothered it. Food Emporium restored it, but a corporate failure closed it again. Now, a thriving grocery chain restores this historic grace note.

Trader Joe’s Bridgemarket Opens at First Avenue and 59th Street

For devoted Trader Joe’s shoppers on Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side, it’s now a shorter trip for filling carts with unique items. Horseradish hummus, anyone? For the uninitiated, it’s an adventure with friendly employees and great prices. You will come back.

But it’s not the grocery tradition found elsewhere. You will not find stacks of paper products nor is there an array of pet food choices. TJs doesn’t aspire to be everything for everyone, just the best at what it does do.

Now, as the Bridgemarket opens, shoppers can see for themselves.

Enthusiasm for the Bridgemarket opening means shoppers will flock to the store, and other stores will be forced to get better or watch customers drain away. Either way, consumers win.

More from the Roosevelt Island Daily

• 
  MTA Boosts 7 Train and LIRR Service for US Open Tennis CrowdsAugust 21, 2026
  The MTA is boosting 7 train and LIRR service for US Open tennis crowds, providing extra trains and on-site staff at Mets-Willets Point to handle increased riders during the tournament.
• 
  700,000-home housing gap mapped by neighborhoodAugust 20, 2026
  NYC’s path forward: meeting the 700,000 home housing challenge offers a roadmap for closing the city’s housing gap, with neighborhood-level solutions and coordinated action.
• 
  Building Queens conference on Long Island City developmentAugust 19, 2026
  Long Island City’s rapid development is driving discussions at the Building Queens conference, where stakeholders will address construction, housing, and the changing skyline.
• 
  NYC Small Business Grant Program Invests $8.4 Million in Local Community OrganizationsAugust 18, 2026
  NYC launches an $8.4 million small business grant program supporting community-based organizations to empower local entrepreneurs and boost neighborhood commercial corridors.
• 
  Hate-crime charges after Central Synagogue Shabbat disruptionAugust 17, 2026
  A man was charged with hate crimes after disrupting a Shabbat service at Central Synagogue in Midtown Manhattan. The incident raised concerns about worshipper safety and led to increased police patrols and community care.

A Different Kind of Bet

This one is about courage.

Theo Gobblevelt Apr 10, 2026

For years, Roosevelt Island did not behave like a system constrained by limits. Internally, the budget was often treated less as a boundary and more as a reservoir to be used.

Continue reading →