Trader Joe’s opening new stores in Chicago suburbs, including inside a once popular bowling alley

Beloved grocery store Trader Joe’s will open new locations in two Chicago suburbs, and one of them will be inside a former bowling alley.

According to a March 27 post, Trader Joe’s will open a grocery store in the southwest suburbs in Oswego. The new store will be located at 1930 US-34.

The announcement comes after a months of speculation that the grocery store would come to town, but in a location unknown.

“We’ve consulted our maps and compass and have found a terrific location for a store in Oswego, IL,” Trader Joe’s announcement said. “Our crew is working hard so we can open our doors.”

An opening date was not provided.

According to the Village of Willowbrook, Trader Joe’s is also set to open a location in the suburb’s former Willowbrook Bowl property, at 735 Plainfield Road.

The property has sat vacant for nearly a decade, the village said in a press release dated April 10, with Trader Joe’s redevelopment of the site marking a “significant milestone in the Village’s ongoing efforts to revitalize one of the most visible properties in the community.”

“This site has a special history in our community,” Willowbrook Mayor Frank A. Trilla said in the release. “Generations of Willowbrook families spent time at Willowbrook Bowl, and I know the community is eager to see this property come back to life. Trader Joe’s is the right partner to write the next chapter for this location.”

It wasn’t immediately clear when the Willowbrook Trader Joe’s location would open. According to its website, the grocery store has more than 10 locations in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including Northbrook, Batavia, Naperville, Orland Park, Schaumburg and Glen Ellyn.