A nice guy in a Hawaiian shirt welcomed me at the door. Once inside I took in the grandeur of the landmark bank building that is now a grocery store, albeit a super fun grocery store.

Ceilings that touch the sky, huge gorgeous windows. Space, space, and more space. It’s a surreal environment to buy groceries in.

And what fun it is to shop there. The hand-picked employees are a lively, friendly group. Okay, so the guy at the front door makes silly jokes, he means well. The people wandering around with tastings in the aisles were well informed and friendly, too.

And the product: Well, it’s Trader Jones. Organic produce and meat. Kooky snack products. Great frozen foods. Fascinating condiments. Excellent desserts. Vitamins and interesting body care products.

It’s sort of like the Food Coop with a sense of humor and way more junk food.

If you haven’t spent time at a Trader Joe’s before you could spend hours at this one just exploring the unusual merchandise. Just about everything from ketchup, mayo and pickles to frozen Mandarin chicken or Salmon roulette is Trader Joe brand.

I got there around 1 p.m. and the store was still bustling with people who’d walked over from downtown Brookyn during lunch hour. At around 2 p.m. the check out line was much shorter. I got through in less than five minutes which was impressive considering how crowded the store was.

And here’s what I got. Mind you we already have favorite Trader Joe’s items because of all the time we spend in Northern California where Trader Joe’s is everywhere (with WINE, mind you). That’s the only thing I miss at the Brooklyn store: that Two Buck Chuck.

–Ginger, Almond and Cashew Granola (Hepcat’s fave)

–Trader Ming’s Mandarin Orange Chicken (frozen)

–Cilantro & Chive Yogurt Dip

–Trimmed and cooked (and pre-washed) Green Beans

–Olive Tapenade

–Corn Tortilla Multi-Seed Flat Breads

–Low Fat Chocolatey Cats Cookies For People (OSOF’s fave)

–Organic Maple Syrup Grade A Dark Amber ($5.99 for 12 oz)

–Strawberry Preserves