MERIDIAN TWP. — The Lansing area’s first Trader Joe’s is getting closer to opening its doors, but company officials have yet to say exactly when that will happen.

Signage has been placed on the property in front of a 13,500-square-foot store off East Grand River Avenue, and the national retailer has begun accepting applications for open positions.

The highly anticipated specialty grocery store near East Lansing has been under construction on 2.2 acres on Grand River Avenue, across the street from the Whole Foods Market, for more than a year. It is expected to open sometime next month, according to an update on Meridian Township’s website.

An exact opening date for the store at 2755 E. Grand River Ave. hasn’t been announced, Nakia Rohde, a Trader Joe’s public relations manager, said in an email. The California-based company’s website lists the location as “coming soon.”

The store’s “exterior building envelope” has been finished since April “and the project crew has completed several items on the required lists for interior work,” according to the township’s update.

An occupancy permit has not been issued yet, according to the township’s update.

The store’s management will hire at least 60 new “crew members,” Rohde said.

“Crew members do a little of everything — and handle a lot,” she said. “From running the register, to stocking shelves, to creating a beautiful display, all while making sure that every customer has a fun, friendly, and informative shopping experience.”

Starting pay ranges from $15 to $17 an hour, Rohde said.

“Our Crew Members work part time, up to 38 hours a week,” she said. “We provide a performance review for each Crew Member twice a year. On average, crew have the potential to receive a 7% annual increase up to $30 an hour.”

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The store’s manager, Mike McGinnis, has been hired and “is getting things ready,” Rohde said.

Anyone interested in applying to work at the East Lansing store can apply online at https://traderjoes.avature.net/careers/JobDetail/United-States-Crew/16380.

Trader Joe’s website lists additional Michigan stores in Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe, Kalamazoo, Kentwood, Northville, Rochester Hills and Royal Oak.

Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ .

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing area’s first Trader Joe’s nears opening, hiring workers