(ed. note: New story concerning Trader Joe's published in August of 2006, read it by clicking here)

It looks more like it could be Trader Joe's for Monroe Commons now that the Willy St. Co-op officially bowed out Monday night.

The Co-op has been seeking a second location and was considering a move to the location previously occupied by the Ken Kopp's Grocery. Anya Firszt, general manager of the Co-op told the WSJ that the asking price was too high.

Although Monroe Commons may have been at the top of the list of places to open a second store, it certainly isn't the only location considered. The Co-op has been looking into the second phase of the Metropolitan Place condo complex between West Wash and Mifflin, and the empty grocery space on Sherman on the northside.

The loss of a second Willy St. Co-op at the Monroe Commons location and the possible opening of Trader Joe's is bittersweet. It's hard to argue which store would have been more likely to deal the final blow for the Regent Street Co-op. It's possible the Willy St. Co-op would have taken the smaller Co-op into consideration when it opened, but even if it did knock out Regent, there would still be a store carrying locally produced products.

The 200-store strong Trader Joe's is less likely to carry the locally produced products currently lining the shelves of the Regent St. Co-op. Madison would be the company's first Wisconsin store, so it would be interesting to see if their website which boasts "more than 80 cheeses includes Cheddars from New York and Vermont" is expanded to include Cheddar from our state.

Trader Joe's is also proud of their selection of coffee beans, although the words "Fair Trade" don't seem to exist in any of the descriptions. How likely is Trader Joe's to carry coffee beans roasted in Madison, such as Ancora? Or to go out of their way to put beans on their shelves from Just Coffee that help support the numerous non-profit organizations in town such as the Madison Area Peace Coalition?

On the other side of the coin, the California-based retailer that has been making out like Wal-Mart when it comes to taking advantage of subsidies, does indeed provide cheaper prices then many other health food stores. The leverage of 200-plus stores when it comes to buying in bulk gives them a major advantage over the Co-ops and stores like Magic Mill Natural Food Markets.

Much like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's isn't a union shop. While that has been a thorn in the side of Whole Foods, who has been accused of using union busting tactics, Trader Joe's is described by Business Week as paying better than the average grocery union wages, has a generous benefits package and contributes an extra 15.4 percent of a worker’s gross pay towards a company funded retirement plan. First-year supervisors earn more than $40,000 on average to start.

There is also less of a chance of finding the products of major corporations on the shelves of Trader Joe's. The selection would be a great alternative to having yet another Walgreen's open in Madison.

All of that said, there is still no guarantee Trader Joe's will move into Monroe Commons. But with Willy St. Co-op now looking elsewhere, the prime location must look more promising for the national chain.