Trader Joe's to Open First Georgia Stores in Two Cities, Boosting Hiring

OnlineAthens reported on Feb. 20, 2026 that two Georgia cities were confirmed to be getting Trader Joe’s stores in 2026, a development reflected on the company’s corporate listings and picked up by regional outlets. Miguel Legoas noted that “Trader Joe's announced on its website a new location coming to Johns Creek,” and that the chain “confirmed to multiple news outlets recently its plans to build a store in Evans, the first in the Augusta area.”

Trader Joe’s corporate listing for Johns Creek shows the address 100 Medley Blvd. Miguel Legoas wrote that “The Johns Creek location will be at 100 Medley Blvd. We have no information at this time on the eventual Evans location.” He also reported that “The Johns Creek location is set to open sometime this year, but an exact grand opening day/time has not been announced.”

Local coverage of Evans focused on the fact that the planned store would be the first Trader Joe’s in the Augusta area. Kicks99 reported that “Currently, there are no Trader Joe's locations in the Augusta area so this will be a first,” and noted that “The closest Trader Joe's for Augusta residents is over an hour away in Columbia, South Carolina.” Kicks99 added that “Many are hoping that the grocery store chain finds a home near the Evans Towne Center Park,” though no site address or lease details for Evans were published in the available reporting.

Community reaction surfaced in multiple syndicated pieces. Kicks99 quoted local sentiment directly: “Residents of the area have been hoping for a location for a long time,” and closed with a community rallying line, “Fingers crossed, Trader Joe's is coming sooner rather than later!” Those local hopes are the clearest labor signal so far, but none of the republished coverage included concrete hiring figures, posted job listings, wage details, or staffing timelines.

For context, the chain already has locations in several Georgia markets cited by local outlets, including Atlanta, Athens, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Norcross, and Peachtree City. Miguel Legoas pointed readers to the existing Athens store at 1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy when outlining the state footprint. Multiple regional outlets used a Mario Tama/Getty Images photo of a Trader Joe’s as visual accompaniment in syndicated articles.

Attribution in the republication stream varies; Miguel Legoas is bylined in excerpts as Athens Banner-Herald and is also identified in one bio as a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today, with Instagram @miguelegoas and email mlegoas@gannett.com. Trader Joe’s corporate site is the primary origin cited for the Johns Creek address, while local outlets supplied the Evans-area context.

Key details remain unreported: no Evans address, no firm grand-opening date for Johns Creek beyond “sometime this year,” and no corporate statement with hiring projections or store-size information. Those specifics will determine when recruiting actually begins and how many crew jobs the two openings will create.