 trader joe's is an american privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in monrovia, california, in greater los angeles. , trader joe's had a total of 418 stores. approximately half of its stores are in california, with the heaviest concentration in southern california, but the company also has locations in 38 other states and washington, d.c.  trader joe's was founded by joe coulombe and has been owned since 1979 by a german family trust established by aldi nord's owner theo albrecht.  the chain has offices in monrovia, california, and boston, massachusetts."office crew." trader joe's. retrieved on september 20, 2011. ==history==  trader joe's is named after its founder, joe coulombe. the chain began in 1958 as a greater los angeles area chain of "pronto market" convenience stores. the original pronto markets were so similar to 7-eleven that coulombe felt the competition with 7-eleven would be ruinous.[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/08/dining/08joes.html?ex=1299474000&en=beebc3a779df6687&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss "
1958_establishments_in_California Companies_based_in_Los_Angeles_County,_California Health_food_stores Privately_held_companies_based_in_California Privately_held_companies_in_the_United_States Retail_companies_based_in_California Retail_companies_established_in_1958 Supermarkets_of_the_United_States Trader_Joe\'s