Clairemont has been asking for a Trader Joe's for at least 14 years. The San Diego Union-Tribune traced the campaign for a local Trader Joe's back to at least 2012, citing earlier San Diego Reader coverage. Until now, the nearest stores have been in Pacific Beach, La Jolla or Mission Valley.
That wait is nearly over. Trader Joe's has given a projected opening date of December 1 for its Clairemont Town Square store at 3962 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Explore Clairemont reported in September. A company representative also showed renderings of the store at a Clairemont Community Planning Group meeting. The bigger story is where the store is going. Trader Joe's isn't getting a new building. It's moving into a carved-up big-box space, and it's the first tenant with a name in a remake that reaches well past one grocery aisle.
The Trader Joe's is going into Burlington's old footprint
When NBC 7 San Diego visited 3962 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in late August, it found a Burlington covered in scaffolding with a "We're remodeling" sign out front. It also found more large commercial space under construction around the corner. The new store's neighbors will include Five Below, Vons and Ross Dress for Less.
The Union-Tribune explained what that remodeling means. In June, it described the owners as "rethinking merchants as they redevelop the center":
"Burlington, a clothing store, is under construction, with two stores being built in a space that was once a larger Burlington."
So Burlington is staying. It's getting smaller. The center's leasing plan from DLC Management, updated October 2, 2026, still lists Burlington at 41,709 square feet. Right next to it on the same plan, spaces 10 and 11 carry the label "New Tenant Coming Soon."
How big the change is
Here is how the October leasing plan lists the spaces in play, next to the anchors Clairemont already knows:
| Space at Clairemont Town Square | Size | Status on the Oct. 2, 2026 leasing plan |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 10 | 14,510 sq ft | New Tenant Coming Soon |
| Unit 11 | 23,655 sq ft | New Tenant Coming Soon |
| Unit 32 | 40,582 sq ft | New Tenant Coming Soon |
| Burlington, unit 9 | 41,709 sq ft | Existing tenant |
| Vons, unit 50 | 48,900 sq ft | Existing tenant |
| Main Chick Hot Chicken, unit 35 | 1,040 sq ft | Listed tenant |
Together, the three "coming soon" spaces come to about 78,700 square feet. That's more than one and a half times the size of the Vons, which has long been the center's only large grocer. The whole center measures 511,934 square feet of leasable space, so roughly 15 percent of Clairemont Town Square is changing tenants at once.
The rest of the center gives that turnover something to build on. DLC's brochure lists the existing anchors as Vons, Ross, Crown Ace Hardware, Petco, TJ Maxx, Michael's, Nordstrom Rack, Burlington, Ulta and CVS. It also counts more than 32,700 vehicles a day passing the corner of Clairemont Drive and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. Smaller tenants on the plan range from TP Tea to the Clairemont Art Guild. On the food side, the center's own restaurant directory lists Main Chick Hot Chicken under "Now Open."
The Union-Tribune called a Trader Joe's "key in the remaking" of the center, which until now has had one large grocer. It's the first name to go up in a space that's been rebuilt, and the leasing plan shows more rebuilt space waiting behind it.
Balboa Avenue is going through the same thing
Head a few minutes down Balboa Avenue and you'll find the same pattern: big-box space being turned over for new uses.
The Kohl's at 5505 Balboa Ave. was scheduled to close for good after business on Saturday, March 29, 2025, NBC 7 reported at the time. According to Explore Clairemont, "What's going into the old Kohl's?" is the question its readers ask most. Its September newsletter reported a preliminary permit review filing to turn the building into a 43,000-square-foot fitness center. At that size, the gym would be slightly bigger than the 41,709-square-foot Burlington that remains at Town Square.
The same newsletter tracked three smaller changes nearby:
- Crumbl, 5665 Balboa Ave. The cookie shop closed in September 2026.
- Crossroads Center, 7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Permit filings show tenant improvements there, including demolition, additions and new kitchen equipment, which suggests a restaurant is on the way.
- Liberty Park Plaza, 4310 Genesee Ave., Suite 108A. Signage went up for Junior's Mediterranean Eats in the former Fujiyame Ramen space. The team behind it is connected to Shawarma Shack in Pacific Beach. The food blog mmm-yoso also covered the arrival.
At Town Square and along Balboa Avenue alike, Clairemont's large retail boxes are being divided up or given new uses. The Trader Joe's stands out because it's the one with a public name and a projected date.
Reading the Trader Joe's date
Trader Joe's own Clairemont store page still says "Coming Soon!" In August, Trader Joe's spokesperson Nakia Rohde told NBC 7 that a location usually appears on the company's Opening Soon list three to six months before it opens. The September report of a December 1 target fits inside that range. December 1 falls on a Tuesday, a little under three weeks after this post goes up.
Clairemont isn't the only new store. The same announcement included a second new Trader Joe's in Encinitas, which brings the county total to 20.
The local calendar through mid-December
Around the Trader Joe's target date, Clairemont has a few community events on the schedule, most of them a short drive from Town Square.
- November 12 to 15: Fall Carnival at North Clairemont Recreation Center & Park, 4421 Bannock Ave. A City notice dated October 23 describes four days of rides, games and food, with about 1,500 people expected.
- November 14, 2 to 3 p.m.: Villa Musica's ENCORE! at North Clairemont Library, 4616 Clairemont Drive. The library lists it as open to walk-ins.
- December 1: Trader Joe's projected opening at 3962 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
- December 3: Clairemont Town Council holiday party, which the council announced in its August meeting recap.
- December 12, 11:30 a.m.: Sax Diego Saxophone Choir at North Clairemont Library, part of its 2nd Saturday Concert Series.
Trader Joe's showed its store renderings in September at a meeting of the Clairemont Community Planning Group. On the October leasing plan, units 10, 11 and 32 are still labeled "New Tenant Coming Soon."
If you own a home near Clairemont Town Square or Balboa Avenue and want to know how these changes fit into your own plans, John Rubino tracks this neighborhood's shopping centers as closely as its sales. Request a free home valuation and consultation, and we'll go through what's happening on your side of Clairemont.
