The Big City Where You'll Find The Smallest Trader Joe's In The US

One of the classic Trader Joe's mistakes is thinking that every TJ's location is the same. Although pricing is the same across all stores in the chain — a major boon for customers in HCOL areas — Trader Joe's tries to infuse local character into its individual stores. Take, for instance, "the world's smallest Trader Joe's," located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Getting to the basement shopping area from the street level requires a ride down a steep escalator, which takes you past hand-painted murals declaring "smallest store, biggest heart."

No matter how large your own heart happens to be, you will want to fortify yourself before braving this tiny grocery store during busy shopping hours. Never has the question of when to shop at Trader Joe's been more meaningful! The diminutive space has only three full-length aisles and two side ones, and you run smack dab into the check-out desks as soon as you descend from the escalator. 

Speaking of the check-out desks, there are five, and you don't pick which one to use. There is one central line, and shoppers get called to the desks from it. The aisles are so narrow that one distracted shopper with a cart can block the entire flow of traffic. Trader Joe's itself saw fit to list the tiny Back Bay store on its list of the Top Ten Most Intriguing Trader Joe's Stores, noting that its size and walkability are perfect for serving the high number of universities in the area: Berklee College of Music, Boston College, and MIT.

Believe it or not, Trader Joe's has managed to cram a good selection of stock into its itty-bitty store. Will you find every one of the snacks ranked on our "best and worst" list? Probably not, but Yelp shoppers have largely positive things to say. "The location on Boylston isn't as big as the one near Central Sq where I used to shop, but they know how to trim the fat just enough to still have a good selection," one shopper reported. "[T]hey really make the most of the space," stated another. "[F]or basic necessities or foods you didn't realize you wanted, TJ's definitely has [local competitors] beat."

Another satisfied customer broke things down: "Yes the store is small and the smallest branch of all Trader Joe's in Boston, but they have everything from fresh produce, frozen meals, desserts, to flowers and thank you cards. [...] Like others mentioned, there is always a long line but it moves relatively quickly. Staff are so so so friendly and helpful. [...] It's a pleasant experience shopping here."

Trader Joe's announced in 2024 that it would be opening a bigger Back Bay store for those who wanted a few more options. Unlike the store at 899 Boylston Street, the location located half a mile away at 500 Boylston Street is a princely 11,000+ square feet, and has alcohol available for sale. Trader Joe's corporate employees have insisted that there is room in the TJ's universe for both stores — the small, older one still serves 2,000 customers per day! — but adding the bigger store was meant to relieve some stress on both shoppers and employees, keeping the Trader Joe's experience fun.