Trader Joe's plans first Spokane Valley store in former Shopko building

Trader Joe’s has a Spokane Valley site at 13414 E. Sprague Ave. in the permitting pipeline, marking the clearest sign yet that the chain is preparing its first store in the city. The location is the former Shopko building, and Spokane Valley’s economic development office posted the project on April 13, 2026.

The redevelopment is set up as a tenant improvement rather than a ground-up build, which usually makes these jobs move faster once the paperwork clears. The Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce says the work will convert the existing shell into a Trader Joe’s with a sales floor, back-of-house space, refrigeration and freezer areas, a receiving dock, offices and restrooms. The chamber lists the building at about 21,500 square feet and puts the renovation at roughly $700,000. The property owner is listed as Coval SV LLC.

That layout matters for the people who will eventually work the store. A conversion like this has to be mapped around receiving flow, storage, refrigeration and stockroom access before the first case of bananas or frozen appetizers ever hits the floor. For a Trader Joe’s opening team, that means the buildout and the store’s operating rhythm have to come together at the same time, with seasoned Mates and Captains likely helping train new hires and establish routines for merchandising, inventory and the customer flow the chain is known for.

Trader Joe’s now lists the Spokane Valley location as store No. 296 at 13414 E. Sprague Ave., and its corporate announcements page still shows the opening date and time as TBD. The company’s separate location page confirms the same address, making Spokane Valley one of the chain’s next Washington openings even though a firm launch date has not been posted publicly.

Spokane Valley’s permitting guidance says commercial projects typically get a 10-business-day target review date, giving the project a defined path through the city’s process. Once the application clears, the work should shift from approvals to construction and then to hiring, adding a new crew pipeline east of Spokane and putting the former Shopko site back into active retail use.