Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 11:26 a.m. on June 12, 2025, was updated at 2:03 p.m. on June 12, 2025, because power was restored and the Trader Joe’s is now open.
Rockville’s newest Trader Joe’s grocery store, which was forced to cancel its morning grand opening after a power outage, opened Thursday afternoon and is ready for customers, according to Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde.
The power outage occurred just before an 8:55 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at the store at 225 N. Washington St. in Rockville Town Square and forced a closure for several hours Thursday.
According to Rohde, after the power outage, the Trader Joe’s team thought the store would have to remain closed for the rest of the day. However, power was restored around 11:45 a.m., which allowed the store to open around 1 p.m.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration were scheduled before the store was set to open at 9 a.m.
“We hope to open as soon as possible,” Rohde told Bethesda Today on Thursday morning.
Thursday’s grand opening plans included the celebration, grocery bag giveaway and food samples, according to a Trader Joe’s press release.
The California-based grocery chain is taking over the former location of Dawson’s Market, which closed in June 2024. The 9,800-square-foot store will be the third Trader Joe’s in the Rockville area and the sixth in Montgomery County.
The chain has a cult-like following because of its seasonal snacks and assortment of frozen meals from cuisines around the world, such as its Mandarin Orange Chicken, Cauliflower Gnocchi, Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings and Kimbap rolls.
According to the release, Trader Joe’s aimed to have a neighborhood-centered approach at the Town Square store and transferred employees from neighboring Trader Joe’s stores on top of hiring 30 crew members.
In addition, the Rockville location will participate in the company’s Neighborhood Shares Program, an initiative in which the store will donate 100% of unsold products that are fit for consumption to nonprofit and community-based organizations, the release said.
Following the rescheduling of its grand opening, the Town Square store is expected to be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
